STORY: Sweet, you find the stairway you took up to the control room earlier! But! You encounter a seven foot tall Minotaur who is blocking your way – seemingly camping the stairs up.
STORY: Alejo, you follow Millie’s directions and your gut and end up across a long hallway that terminates in a set of stairs, upon which sit a man you can assume is Millie’s minotaur.
STORY: Sweet, you do not see Alejo and Millie; Alejo and Millie, you do not see Sweet.
MILLICENT: Whispering, “Ink doesn’t work.”
ALEJO: Alejo gives her a wide-eyed stare. “Surprising,” he finally whispers back flatly.
ALEJO: Tux ran a finger along the place where the dagger had carved Alejo to the bone. The scar wrapped Alejo’s forearm like a serpent.
ALEJO: “Tell me,” Tux said softly, leaning in and to exam it.
ALEJO: Alejo began the story, but then, without warning, the familiar inertia of the lie felt wrong, revolting. He shook his head, pausing, the façades of one false identity after another crumbling away. Tux then looked up at Alejo, momentarily, curiously, and then in an act of inexplicable generosity, away again.
ALEJO: “What can I say,” Alejo tried to recover, “I like to fuck my life up in the most thoroughly convincing ways possible.”
—
STORY: Alejo, you arrive at the door to Tux’s suite, which is open.
STORY: T’chololl, standing outside, greets you. “Hello, Alejo! There is good news! Your friend is comatose. Will you also be getting a hole in your spine?”
ALEJO: He steps through, distracted, looking back over his shoulder. “Huh?”
ALEJO: “Hole in my what?” He looks at Loll.
MILLICENT: “Spine,” Millie enunciates.
SWEET: “It’s really more of a dendratic bonding with the spine.”
STORY: In the dark room, Tux lays on a gurney chair, seemingly asleep.
SWEET: “The hole is in your neck to access your spine.”
ALEJO: He puzzles up his brow. Then looks from Loll to Sweet and then sees Tux. He brushes past them and moves to the gurney. He looks to Millie but does not say anything.
MILLICENT: “He went into this game some weeks ago. I believe I can extract him, but I will need to, virtually, be there. Sweet has graciously agreed to show us around, as far as he is able, but I will need someone to protect us while inside. I volunteered you.”
STORY: He’s unconscious, breathing shallow, but definitely alive.
STORY: More of a beard than you’ve ever seen on him.
STORY: But he looks clean, not too emaciated.
ALEJO: Alejo nods slowly. He reaches out and puts a light hand on Tux’s chest, feeling it rise and fall for a moment.
MILLICENT: “To enter the game we’ll need a dendratic bonding with our spines. To get to the spines, we’ll need holes in our necks.”
MILLICENT: “I believe you’re all caught up.” Millie reaches out and squeezes Alejo’s hand.
MILLICENT: “He’s alive!”
SWEET: “And then we port in. It is a war-murder-mimickry game.”
SWEET: “Takami.” Sweet is not good at hiding the disgust in his voice.
ALEJO: Alejo gives her a quick smile. He turns and looks over his shoulder at Sweet. “You sure you’re up for this? I mean,” he turns now to Sweet fully, “I appreciate it. I really do. It means a lot that you’ve offered. But I don’t want to put you . . . I don’t want to cause you to fall off the wagon.”
SWEET: Sweet smiles sweetly again. “Takami has a medic role to assist the tanks and DPS classes. They only carry light weaponry, and…well, I _am_ boots on the ground now. I can’t opt out.”
SWEET: His smile goes away for a moment, and then comes back. He doesn’t seem to notice.
ALEJO: “Thank you,” he replies earnestly. “I’m already in your debt. More than I can ever repay. But thank you.”
ALEJO: He turns back to Millie. “Let’s drill some spinal holes.”
STORY: Okay! Let’s skip ahead. You are under a 24 hour visa, and all the reputable places to get tapped have long waiting lists.
STORY: Which is how you find yourself sitting on a stool in a back alley with a heavily tattooed Odh telling you not to move.
STORY: Three neck holes and a team suite rental later, you’re ready to go.
STORY: You tap in and lay back, and your awareness of yourselves on the gurney chairs fades as you find yourself alone, in an ornate palace room. A sage-looking bearded human in white robes walks up to you and raises his chin to look you over.
STORY: “Name?”
MILLICENT: “I believe The Doctor will suffice.”
SWEET: “Levendis.”
ALEJO: Alejo glances over at Sweet. “Kluwer.” He says, at last.
STORY: He nods. “Doctor. Entrusted to deliver an uncounted purse of gold, thou dost meet a poor beggar. Dost thou A) deliver the gold knowing the Trust in thee was well-placed; or B) show Compassion, giving the Beggar a coin, knowing it won’t be missed?”
STORY: “Levendis. Thou dost manage to disarm thy mortal enemy in a duel. He is at thy mercy. Dost thou A) show Compassion by permitting him to yield; or B) slay him as expected of a Valiant duelist?”
STORY: “Kluwer. Thou has been prohibited by thy absent Lord from joining thy friends in a close pitched battle. Dost thou A) refrain, so thou may Honestly claim obedience; or B) show Valor, and aid thy comrades, knowing thou may deny it later?”
SWEET: “Show compassion, sire.”
MILLICENT: “B, I think.”
ALEJO: “Aid my comrades.”
STORY: “Levendis. During a pitched battle, thou dost see a fellow desert his post, endangering many. As he flees, he is set upon by several enemies. Dost thou A) Justly let him fight alone; or B) Risk Sacrificing thine own life to aid him?”
STORY: “Kluwer. Thou hast spent thy life in charitable and righteous work. Thine uncle the innkeeper lies ill and asks you to take over his tavern. Dost thou A) Sacrifice thy life of purity to aid thy kin; or B) decline & follow thy Spirit’s call?”
STORY: “Doctor. Thou hast been sent to secure a needed treaty with a distant Lord. Thy host is agreeable to the proposal but insults thy country at dinner. Dost thou A) Valiantly bear the slurs; or B) Justly rise and demand an apology?”
SWEET: “Risk sacrificing my life to aid, of course.”
SWEET: To the others, “This is not the game, merely the pre-game.”
ALEJO: “Aid my uncle.”
MILLICENT: Millie shrugs, “A, I suppose.”
STORY: Another nod. “Kluwer. After 20 years thou hast found the slayer of thy best friends. The villain proves to be a man who provides the sole support for a young girl. Dost thou A) spare him in Compassion for the girl; or B) slay him in the name of Justice?”
STORY: “Doctor. Thou art a bounty hunter sworn to return an alleged murderer. After his capture, thou believest him to be innocent. Dost thou A) Sacrifice thy sizeable bounty for thy belief; or B) Honor thy oath to return him as thou hast promised?”
STORY: “Levendis. In thy youth thou pledged to marry thy sweetheart. Now thou art on a sacred quest in distant lands. Thy sweetheart asks thee to keep thy vow. Dost thou A) Honor thy pledge to wed; or B) follow thy Spiritual crusade?”
ALEJO: “Spare him for the girl’s sake.”
MILLICENT: “A again.”
SWEET: “Oooooooh. That’s a tough one.”
SWEET: “I must follow my crusade.”
STORY: “Doctor. Thy parents wish thee to become an apprentice. Two positions are available. Dost thou A) Become an acolyte in the Spiritual order; or B) Become an assistant to a humble village cobbler?”
STORY: “Levendis. Thy Lord mistakenly believes he slew a dragon. Thou hast proof that thy lance felled the beast. When asked, dost thou A) Honestly claim the kill and the prize; or B) Humbly permit thy Lord his belief?”
STORY: “Kluwer. Thou art at a crossroads in thy life. Dost thou A) Choose the Honorable life of a Paladin, striving for Truth and Courage; or B) Choose the Humble life of a Shepherd, and a world of simplicity and peace?”
MILLICENT: “May I ask, does this other me believe in the tenants of the Spiritual order?”
STORY: Millie, there is no response from the sage.
SWEET: “Permit my lord his belief.”
ALEJO: Alejo shrugs. “If only that were a choice. Paladin.”
MILLICENT: “You know what? I’ll make the shoes. Good shoes can be both a work of art and a feat of engineering.”
STORY: He nods again and turns to Levendis. “Thee and thy friends have been routed and ordered to retreat. In defiance of thy orders, dost thou A) stop in Compassion to aid a wounded companion; or B) Sacrifice thyself to slow the pursuing enemy, so others can escape?”
SWEET: “I must sacrifice myself to save the others.”
STORY: Another nod. Still to Sweet, “Thy parents wish thee to become an apprentice. Two positions are available. Dost thou A) Become an acolyte in the Spiritual order; or B) Become an assistant to a humble village cobbler?”
SWEET: “I am at heart an acolyte.”
STORY: “Thou hast spent thy life in charitable and righteous work. Thine uncle the innkeeper lies ill and asks you to take over his tavern. Dost thou A) Sacrifice thy life of purity to aid thy kin; or B) decline & follow thy Spirit’s call?”
SWEET: “I must aid my kin.”
STORY: A solemn nod, then he gestures for you to proceed beyond him through a door in the rear of the room.
SWEET: Sweet starts towards it, looks back towards the others, and then continues. “See you on the other side.”
STORY: Then he turns to face Alejo. “Kluwer. A mighty knight accosts thee and demands thy food. Dost thou A) Valiantly refuse and engage the knight; or B) Sacrifice thy food unto the hungry knight?”
ALEJO: Alejo cocks his head. “Wait. Is the knight mighty or hungry or both?” He pauses. “Yeah, you’re not going to clarify are you. Can I like share some but not all of the food with the guy?”
STORY: He stares at you. This program is not sophisticated.
ALEJO: “Refuse and engage.”
STORY: “Thou art sworn to uphold a Lord who participates in the forbidden torture of prisoners. Each night their cries of pain reach thee. Dost thou A) Show Compassion by reporting the deeds; or B) Honor thy oath and ignore the deeds?”
ALEJO: “I show compassion and report the asshole.”
STORY: One more nod. “Thou dost manage to disarm thy mortal enemy in a duel. He is at thy mercy. Dost thou A) show Compassion by permitting him to yield; or B) slay him as expected of a Valiant duelist?”
ALEJO: “I give him the opportunity to yield.”
STORY: A solemn nod, and you are directed through the door.
ALEJO: He looks back at Millie. “I’ll be waiting for you, Doc.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods.
STORY: Finally, he turns to Millie. “Doctor. Thou dost manage to disarm thy mortal enemy in a duel. He is at thy mercy. Dost thou A) show Compassion by permitting him to yield; or B) slay him as expected of a Valiant duelist?”
MILLICENT: Millie makes a face. “I’m not killing an unarmed person. A.”
STORY: “Thou art an elderly, wealthy eccentric. Thy end is near. Dost thou A) donate all thy wealth to feed hundreds of starving children, and receive public adulation; or B) Humbly live out thy life, willing thy fortune to thy heirs?”
MILLICENT: “Well, sorry, I’ve definitely killed unarmed people, but not in a face-to-face duel sort of situation.”
MILLICENT: “Still A on that one.”
MILLICENT: “Oh and A on this one, too.”
STORY: “Thee and thy friends have been routed and ordered to retreat. In defiance of thy orders, dost thou A) stop in Compassion to aid a wounded companion; or B) Sacrifice thyself to slow the pursuing enemy, so others can escape?”
MILLICENT: “I don’t have any heirs. I’m not sure I like children, you see-oh good another one.”
MILLICENT: “The answer’s in the name, my dear sub-routine. I’m a doctor, I help the wounded.”
STORY: One last nod, and he gestures for you to proceed through the door.
STORY: You are dropped into a match in progress. I’d like some information from the three of you.
STORY: Despite the very high fantasy style intro, the game genre and setting very depending on whoever is hosting. Sweet, what’s the setting of this match?
STORY: Alejo, what’s the genre, survival, horror, action, platformer, or shooter?
STORY: Millie, what’s the game – CTF, King of the Hill, Moto Zombies, what?
ALEJO: Horror.
SWEET: The setting is a massive multi-level labyrinth.
MILLICENT: Crazy King
STORY: You’re each dropped in to separate sections, with only a t-shirt and cargo pants. Millie, Alejo, you both have BARD written across your t-shirts. Sweet, you have TINKER. Each of you land in a dark stone and dirt hallway with a small backpack in sight.
STORY: It’s silence all around, punctuated by periodic screams and sounds of struggle.
SWEET: Sweet runs to the backpack.
ALEJO: Alejo does as well, surveying the area for any signs of other players nearby.
STORY: Sweet, you’re a tinker class – what two items are in your backpack?
SWEET: Sweet pulls out a hammer and a wrench.
STORY: Alejo, pick one item for a bard, Millie pick the other.
MILLICENT: An instrument, something that takes two hands like a violin or a mandolin or something
STORY: A lute!
ALEJO: Alejo pulls out a massive pen and ink well.
ALEJO: “This oughta be very helpful.” He frowns while holding them.
STORY: You each swing your backpacks on and get moving. What do you do?
SWEET: Sweet takes off, taking every single right, and every stair up, when given a choice.
SWEET: He has a hammer in his right hand, and wrench in the other.
SWEET: And moves as quietly as possible.
MILLICENT: Millie tut tuts over the contents of her bag for a while and then starts strolling around.
MILLICENT: Just taking it in.
MILLICENT: She knows enough to not shout for her friends, I think, but not enough to sneak
ALEJO: Alejo moves as quickly and quietly as he can through the corridors, trying to find the nearest sounds.
STORY: Millie! You are starting out at a disadvantage, I’d like you to roll Assessment + Mettle to see if you find trouble.
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 1
STORY: josh rolled 3 + 1 = 4
STORY: Oh boy, do you.
STORY: You turn a corner and get whacked in the head with an axe held by what appears to be a seven-foot-tall Minotaur in full plate.
STORY: The good news is, it doesn’t hurt. The bad news is, you find yourself in a new hallway, with a huge 30 hovering in front of you, and you can’t move. The numbers count down.
STORY: Alejo! Assessment + Mettle for you too, please. Sweet, same.
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 6 + 2 = 8
STORY: Alejo, you come around a corner and see another player, this one with a small pair of wings and wearing what looks like body armor. He hasn’t seen you yet.
STORY: Sweet?
SWEET: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 6 + 2 = 8
STORY: You head up two sets of stairs and see a small box lying on the ground with a red plus sign. You also see the pressure plate in front of it. No way you can see to get to the health kit without triggering the trap.
SWEET: I Tinker with the trap!
STORY: Oh good call! Let’s have a FA + Expertise for that.
SWEET: /roll 2d6+1
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 6 + 1 = 7
STORY: Another player steps into view. You can disarm the trap and grab the kit, but he’ll see you and most likely get a free shot, or you have time to duck away.
SWEET: Duck!
STORY: You slide silently back to the doorway and hide, and watch around the corner as that player, this one looking like a werewolf but blue, sees the health kit, steps into the trap, and hops out of the way of the spikes that fly toward him, grabbing the kit and dashing away.
STORY: Alejo! What do you do?
ALEJO: Sneak attack, if that’s allowed here? I mean, can we use those sorts of abilities?
STORY: Sure! Roll dem bones
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 9 + 2 = 11
STORY: Oh boy, you sneak the _fuck_ up on that guy and choke him out quickly.
STORY: The body disappears as soon as his health bar is depleted, dropping all his Stuff.
STORY: Which is: a dagger, a chestplate, and a pair of wings.
STORY: The first and second you’re obviously familiar with, the latter you have no idea how to use, but you can strap them on if you like.
ALEJO: Alejo picks up the first two, puts the chestplate on and straps on the wings. “This can’t possibly go badly,” he mutters and continues moving forward quietly and quickly.
STORY: Millie! Your countdown timer is up. What do?
MILLICENT: Millie takes a little more care this time, doing some creeping around, mentally making a map
STORY: All right! Assessment + Mettle again please!
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 1
STORY: josh rolled 7 + 1 = 8
STORY: Millie, you make it upstairs and this time catch sight of the Minotaur before he sees you. He’s sneaking up on a third player, one wearing a t-shirt that says DRUID. The player is wandering, walking in weird circles.
STORY: The minotaur raises his axe. What do you do?
MILLICENT: Throw my pen at him like a javelin with one hand and toss ink on the floor with the other. Millie tries to do all of this any match it with a fierce war cry, but that’s kind of a lot to keep up with and she just about manages a “Heyo”
STORY: All right! The pen actually sails through the air pretty well and lands stuck in the minotaur’s leg, but it doesn’t kill him, so he turns around and cuts you in half with the axe.
STORY: You’re in a new room. 30
MILLICENT: “Hmmm. I was hoping he’d slip on the ink.”
MILLICENT: “I suppose the routines aren’t written with real physics.”
MILLICENT: “Well, realistic physics.”
MILLICENT: Millie tries jumping. Then pushing the wall with one hand, then the other. Trying to see what it looks like, what it feels like.
STORY: Sweet, what are you doing now that your health kit is gone?
SWEET: Right right right up right up right right right right.
STORY: You up up right right right right for a bit and find your way to what you assume is the top of the labyrinth. There’s a room with a table-sized blue half-sphere in the center, with what looks like images from elsewhere in the labyrinth projecting out of them onto the ceiling. This room is _awesome,_ which is why it also has six other players in it, all of whom are currently trying to kill each other.
STORY: What do you do?
SWEET: Hide and watch.
STORY: One goes down to two’s bastard sword, then three gets trapped in the fourth player’s net, and five and six stand in front of each other just punching. You watch health meters deplete, and then there are three players, one of whom (the punching idiot) is near death as well.
STORY: Player One, in chainmail, has the bastard sword, Player Two has a net and dagger – and your health kit! – and Player Three is in a MAGE t-shirt and has no visible items.
STORY: Still watching?
SWEET: Raising my voice. “Clive Tusker?!”
STORY: All three players look at you, note your t-shirt, and charge.
STORY: What do you do?
SWEET: Left left left left down left down right
STORY: Okay, let’s make that Face Adversity + Mettle to escape.
SWEET: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 7 + 2 = 9
STORY: Okay! You manage to elude the two armored foes, who rightfully judge you to have no loot worth taking, but the mage chases after you and trips on his way down the stairs. You can get free of him if you take him out right now, but if not he’s likely to recover and attack. What do you do?
SWEET: Look back, and flee further.
STORY: Okay! As you run, the mage gets out a shot and you see sparks and smell burnt hair as something hits the back of your head. Again, no pain, but you find yourself back at a new spawn point with a big 30 hovering in front of you.
STORY: Alejo! What next?
ALEJO: He keeps sneaking his way up through the maze, being attentive to any sounds but also very attentive to anything sneaking up behind him.
STORY: All right! Let’s have one more Assessment + Mettle
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 8 + 2 = 10
STORY: You turn a corner and find Millie, who is pacing around while a big yellow 07 hovers over her, and turns into an 06.
STORY: Millie, Alejo has a weapon, armor, and a pair of wings.
STORY: They’re small, but impressive.
ALEJO: Alejo looks at her. “Hiya Doc.”
ALEJO: Alejo moves towards the passage that he didn’t enter from, to stand guard while she finishes respawning.
STORY: Millie, you can see and talk, and your timer is ending.
ALEJO: “Like my nifty new wings?”
MILLICENT: “Very much!”
MILLICENT: “I’ve been flattened by a minotaur! Twice!”
ALEJO: “Sorry to hear.” Alejo looks around. “Which way was it?”
MILLICENT: “No idea! When you get flattened you get punted to a different load zone.”
ALEJO: “Right. Well, let’s not make it three. Seen Sweet? Or anything else that might be useful yet?”
MILLICENT: “Just what the minotaur was wearing.”
ALEJO: Alejo looks at her, anxious. “Do tell.”
MILLICENT: Millie shrugs. “An axe, some armor.”
MILLICENT: “What about you?”
ALEJO: “Sounds useful. No, nothing else besides what I’ve got. We should keep moving, yeah?”
MILLICENT: Millie nods. “You lead the way, I am but a humble b-oh, you too.”
STORY: You do so! Sweet, your timer is up too. Still right-upping?
SWEET: Sure.
STORY: Let’s have an Assessment + Mettle from Alejo and Sweet, I assume Millie is a follower.
SWEET: Trying to recognize things to see if I can get back to that room.
SWEET: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 5 + 2 = 7
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 9 + 2 = 11
STORY: Sweet, you find the stairway you took up to the control room earlier! But! You encounter a seven foot tall Minotaur who is blocking your way – seemingly camping the stairs up.
STORY: Alejo, you follow Millie’s directions and your gut and end up across a long hallway that terminates in a set of stairs, upon which sit a man you can assume is Millie’s minotaur.
STORY: Sweet, you do not see Alejo and Millie; Alejo and Millie, you do not see Sweet.
STORY: What’s everyone doing?
MILLICENT: Whispering, “Ink doesn’t work.”
ALEJO: Alejo gives her a wide-eyed stare. “Surprising,” he finally whispers back flatly.
STORY: Both of you get a close up if you don’t have one
SWEET: Well, I’m a tinkerer in a game, so I’ll try to see if my wrench and hammer have some special ability to lay a trap.
STORY: Ooh! Nice idea. How about a FA + Expertise for that
SWEET: /roll 2d6+1
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 5 + 1 = 6
SWEET: WELL IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD IDEA.
ALEJO: “I think we could put that lute to use? You distract it while I get a sneak attack in?” He looks around for a good spot to set such a trap.
STORY: You clack your wrench and hammer together, thinking they might do something in combination. The minotaur looks up at you, stands, and smiles.
STORY: He coming for ya.
STORY: Alejo, the minotaur stands and starts to run down a different hallway.
ALEJO: “Or . . . ” He gets up and moves quickly following it, looking for a good opportunity to attack from behind.
SWEET: “Fuck a [animal that rhymes with ‘fuck’ in Sweet’s native tongue].” Sweet flees.
MILLICENT: Millie starts playing her lute, no idea what kind of sound is going to come out
STORY: Millie, the lute basically plays itself once you start strumming, you don’t need to know how to use it to use it.
MILLICENT: But she starts singing loudly, “There once was a man from Bel Air/Who was doing his wife on the stair/But the banister broke/So he doubled his stroke/And finished her off in mid-air”
STORY: Alejo, you feel stronger and start to run faster!
STORY: Sweet, you’re running – Alejo, you’re chasing, Millie’s playing?
STORY: Let’s have FA + Mettle from Sweet and Alejo to see how well they accomplish their needs. Alejo, take +1 for the lute.
SWEET: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 7 + 2 = 9
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+3
STORY: ablair01 rolled 10 + 3 = 13
STORY: Sweet, you see a way to get clear of the minotaur – another newb player in a t-shirt, this one saying DRUID, is walking in circles in an open area to your right. If you run by him, he’s surely a better target for the minotaur. Do you let him catch you or sac the newb?
SWEET: Sorry newb.
STORY: You run by him and slide into cover under a rocky outcropping and watch as the minotaur catches up with the DRUID and pulls off his head. As you lay there, you note that avatar behavior as odd, mechanical, almost programmed – that druid is probably idle?
STORY: Alejo, you catch up with the minotaur’s back to you as he grabs a DRUID and pulls off its head. Blood shoots everywhere as the body disappears. Give me Assessment + Influence please!
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 4 + 2 = 6
STORY: The minotaur is extremely, extremely well-armed and armored, you realize as you leap toward him with a dagger in your hands. You’re… not likely to succeed here.
STORY: Attacking! That’s Launch Assault
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+1
STORY: ablair01 rolled 11 + 1 = 12
STORY: Oh my damn.
STORY: Well, you land just right, dig your feet into his back, and using that as leverage, twist his head up and around and snap his neck.
STORY: You ride the body down to the ground as it disappears beneath you and drops just an enormous amount of loot.
STORY: Everyone can armor and weapon up as they please, plus one utility item of their choice, describe for me what you got.
SWEET: “Oh. Hi, Alejo.”
SWEET: Sweet grabs a large shield and an key made out of bone.
STORY: Excellent!
MILLICENT: Millie pulls out a suit of interlocked rings that seem light durable, along with an extremely stylized, but very pointy rapier and main-gauche combo. She also finds a med kit.
ALEJO: “Hey, there.” Alejo looks around at the loot. He picks up a set of dark chain mail, that is reasonably light and flexible, allowing for good movement. And he picks up a crossbow with a full quiver of bolts.
ALEJO: He also finds a map of some sort.
STORY: A map! That’s very useful!
STORY: All right, so the three of you are together, you’ve got a key and a map and a med kit and a pair of wings and everyone’s as armed and armored as they please.
SWEET: “Some sort of cool looking room back that way, guys.”
SWEET: “Also, I keep seeing a DRUID marked player who seems to be…off. Might be our guy?”
ALEJO: “That druid that just got his head ripped off?” Alejo gestures back to the general area where it happened.
SWEET: “Indeed.”
ALEJO: “Good note. Keep our eyes open for a Druid newbie.” He looks at them both. “Check out Sweet’s room?” He then opens the map to take a quick look at it and see if he can identify where they are at and where the room is.
MILLICENT: “Oh, but if he’s not actively here, where’s his consciousness?”
STORY: Alejo, the map only marks places you’ve been clearly, but it’s got dim blue outlines for rooms you haven’t seen yet.
MILLICENT: “I mean, yes, let’s go there, but I’m a little worried about layers of missing identity.”
STORY: Sweet points out what looks like the path to the control room.
ALEJO: Alejo takes the lead. “Sweet, you got our backs.”
SWEET: Sweet nods and hefts his Hylian shield.
STORY: You head upstairs! Now that you know the way, no roll necessary – the two previous survivors are camping that room, the player with the bastard sword and the one who stole Sweet’s medkit.
STORY: The blue orb glows pleasantly and shows the location of the other fifteen players. You see the DRUID but can’t place him without some context; you’ll need to get inside to get a clearer look.
STORY: What do you do?
SWEET: Sweet looks to Alejo.
ALEJO: Alejo frowns. “Don’t have to participate.” He looks to Millie. “That lute playing gave me a . . . boost. Maybe try that again?”
SWEET: Sweet moves to protect Millie.
MILLICENT: Millie sheaths her swords and pulls her lute
MILLICENT: “A strange young fellow from Leeds /Rashly swallowed a package of seeds. /Great tufts of fine grass /Sprouted out of his ass /And his balls were covered with weeds.”
MILLICENT: Off their looks, “I don’t know a lot of songs, okay?”
ALEJO: Alejo lines up a crossbow bolt at the bastard sword guy and readies the dagger.
ALEJO: As she starts playing, Alejo shoots.
STORY: You are JAZZED by this singing! Let’s have FA + Mettle + 1
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+3
STORY: ablair01 rolled 5 + 3 = 8
STORY: Anyone want to Get Involved in that?
SWEET: I’m all sorts of trying to help but I’m only defensive.
MILLICENT: Sure, I’ll try to throw my main-gauche
SWEET: I’ll keep them both covered in a battle to the best of my abilities.
STORY: Roll dem bones! Get Involved + Mettle
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 1
STORY: josh rolled 10 + 1 = 11
STORY: Alejo springs forward as the two enemies note all three of you and draw their weapons. He springs into the air, legs tucked up under him, dagger overhead like A Certain Stark, and lands on the bastard sword-wielding enemy as he stabs him through the neck and the body disappears. But – his dagger gets stuck in place, and as he tugs at it the second player moves to throw his net and ready his own dagger. Millie drops her lute and throws her main gauche across the room, burying it in the second player’s shoulder as that body disappears and drops loot as well.
STORY: You’re alone! Note that this room is a tactically advantageous place, and you’re not likely to be alone here for long.
STORY: What do?
SWEET: Sweet goes to tinker with the viewer.
MILLICENT: So does Millie
ALEJO: “Nice throw!” He gives Millie an appreciative smile.
MILLICENT: Looking for any controls
MILLICENT: Millie grins back. “I’m a terror at darts. Just don’t tell Tueller, I want to take his money some day.”
STORY: The two science nerds futz with the viewer and quickly identify the location of the druid, and as you watch him, yeah he’s definitely idle. Also, Alejo, you recognize him – it’s definitely Tux. The others didn’t get a clear enough look, but that’s your boy.
ALEJO: “Well, I guess we found him. But why is he . . . not here.”
SWEET: Sweet also picks up the net.
SWEET: “So. He’s idle. That…makes this complicated.”
SWEET: “Honestly, if we boot him out when he’s idle, he could get broken.”
SWEET: “So, I think….well, we need to make him the winner.”
STORY: It occurs to the three of you that you don’t actually know the game mechanic right now.
SWEET: “The win state will ease him back to reality.”
STORY: So Millie checks, and it’s Crazy King – King of the Hill, with a twist. So to win, a player has to spend 60 seconds alive within a certain area, and that area moves periodically.
STORY: So you have to: find Tux, keep him safe, get him into the hill and alone, and keep him there (and move him to new locations) for 60 seconds.
ALEJO: Alejo picks up the bastard sword and gives it flourish or two.
STORY: Alejo looks _incredibly_ capable and sexy wielding a bastard sword.
MILLICENT: Millie notices.
SWEET: “So this became a palanquin mission.”
ALEJO: “We’re so fucked.” He’s smiling as he says this. “Ideas how we actually make this happen?”
SWEET: “We got a map, and we have each other. We’re one quarter of the entire competitors.”
SWEET: “Find him, carry him, run patrols, get out of here.”
MILLICENT: “Sure! We need to construct some sort of restraint and some kind of gurney.”
MILLICENT: “What he said.”
SWEET: Sweet raises his net.
MILLICENT: “That might work.”
ALEJO: “Nice. Sweet, you’re the strongest and you’ve got that shield. You’re on protection duty.”
SWEET: Sweet also sighs, reaches down, and picks up a discarded trident.
SWEET: “And…” he doesn’t say anything else.
SWEET: He straps the trident on his back.
ALEJO: “And moving duty.” Alejo gives him a quick smile.
SWEET: “He wanders. He’s not immobile. We just aim him the right way.”
SWEET: “Also, I’m not the strongest. This is fat, not muscle.”
MILLICENT: “I think we could make a decent stretcher from that trident and Alejo’s sheath.”
MILLICENT: “The.” She coughs. “Sword sheath.”
MILLICENT: “And the net.”
MILLICENT: Millie is recovering from recently having noticed Alejo again.
SWEET: “If need be, but the guy is on autopilot. We don’t need to drag him.
ALEJO: Alejo hands her the sheath. “Good plan.”
ALEJO: “Doc, we gotta play those lutes, when we’re in a scrap. I think it’ll give us both a boost.”
SWEET: “We just need to herd him in the right direction and keep him planted in the zone.”
STORY: All right! Plan is to find him, herd him, keep people off him, repeat once the hill moves?
SWEET: That’s Sweet’s plan, at least.
SWEET: He’s noticeably more irritable now that he’s strapped on a weapon, btw.
STORY: Good! Because just as you agree on that plan, the Minotaur comes back. He’s got less Stuff, but he’s still a fucking minotaur, and he charges straight towards the three of you. What do you do?
SWEET: Sweet stabs out with a fucking trident! Shouting!
MILLICENT: Millie whips out her lute and plays
MILLICENT: “There once was a man from madras/ Whose balls were made of brass/ In stormy weather /They clang together/ And sparks fly out of his ass!”
ALEJO: Alejo shoots at the minotaur with the crossbow and then charges with the sword drawn.
STORY: All right! Alejo, let’s have Launch Assault +1
STORY: Sweet, if you need to Get Involved with the trident, let me know
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 6 + 2 = 8
SWEET: I was getting involved, yes.
STORY: Roll it! + Physique
SWEET: roll 2d6
SWEET: /roll 2d6
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 5
STORY: Oh noooo
MILLICENT: Oh boy
SWEET: Yeah….definitely should have focused on a Mettle based weapon…
STORY: Alejo, here’s what’s happening. You’re firing on the minotaur and charging the minotaur, but as you go Sweet does his best to charge as well and gets smacked down, disappearing into whatever void people go to when they respawn. His stuff is left on the ground. You can continue the charge and take down the minotaur but most likely be killed, or stop and run.
STORY: Choice?
ALEJO: Stop and run. “Run!” He pivots and shouts back towards Millie.
STORY: Millie, fleeing?
MILLICENT: Sure
MILLICENT: I don’t generally handle the violence for the big boys
STORY: Okay. Let’s say you both know your way around this game enough that you can track down Sweet, but you’re down his weapon and armor and health kit.
STORY: The three of you are together again. Plan?
SWEET: And the bone key. Sad face.
SWEET: Do the hammer and wrench count as default spawn items?
STORY: Yes!
ALEJO: Same plan. Only we’ll also be on the lookout for more places to get new loot. Alejo gives Sweet the breastplate he first got and the dagger.
MILLICENT: We found Druid on the map, let’s find him in the maze
ALEJO: If Sweet wants the dagger.
STORY: Let’s do it!
STORY: You find the druid relatively quickly. He’s idling, just walking aimlessly like an NPC.
SWEET: Sweet takes the dagger, and holsters it.
MILLICENT: Can he be led?
SWEET: Sweet takes his hammer and wrench, and uses that to try to herd the druid.
STORY: Yep! You lead him to the Hill, or to the area just outside of it, but there are four players currently fighting over that spot. What do?
STORY: Herding the druid is easy, you just need one person dedicated to it to keep him where he’s supposed to be. Who’s on that job?
SWEET: Sweet!
SWEET: “Let them fight.”
MILLICENT: So where’s the hill?
STORY: The hill’s in an open area that yes, shows up on your map. High ceilings, about 50’x50′ in this area, seven different entrances to this place.
MILLICENT: Does it show up on our map?
ALEJO: Once they arrive outside the spot, Alejo will stop them and keep them hidden, waiting until the four players thin each other out a little. “Once this gets narrowed down, I’ll go in for the attack. Doc, you’ve got my back. Sweet, bring our guy in as soon as it looks reasonably safe, so we can start that countdown.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods.
MILLICENT: Grim Millie
STORY: Four thin themselves down to two, and dance around the hill, each picking up a few seconds here and there and doing their best to avoid getting hit by the other.
ALEJO: Alejo lines up a shot at one of them and prepares to charge. He looks a Millie, giving her the go signal. And . . . action!
STORY: Alejo, Launch Assault +1!
SWEET: Sweet readies the dagger to throw it if he gets an opening.
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 4 + 2 = 6
MILLICENT: Millie jumps in, stabbing at her assigned target with her rapier.
STORY: Oh goodness, Millie please Get Involved + Mettle and see what you can do.
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 1
STORY: josh rolled 12 + 1 = 13
STORY: Millie, tell me what happens
MILLICENT: Alejo jumps in with his sword, but misjudges the ceiling height and his cleaving blow gets stuck on the rock above. While the two are distracted by a man trying to pry a sword out of the ceiling Millie slides in on her knees, dispatching one foe with a well-placed rapier thrust she spins and throws her main gauche at the second, barely dodging his thrown hammer and grinning as her blade buries itself into his chest and he pixelates.
MILLICENT: Millie blows hair that isn’t there off her forehead and begins and long and elaborate victory dance.
STORY: Millie is a goddess.
SWEET: Sweet herds Tuxbot into the designated area.
SWEET: “Set a perimeter.”
SWEET: He says that authoritatively, and you remember he is or was a gunnery sergeant.
STORY: The three of you circle Tux, ready for anyone who comes. It’s a tense 30 seconds.
STORY: Then the minotaur arrives.
ALEJO: Alejo gets the sword free and drops to the ground. He gives her a deep bow and smile and then sets up the perimeter as Tux says.
STORY: He smiles as he squats, ready to charge.
STORY: What do you do?
SWEET: Sweet throws his dagger!
SWEET: Aiming between the horns.
SWEET: Some music would be nice, btw.
ALEJO: Alejo tries this damned crossbow again and then charges.
MILLICENT: Millie starts to play again. “There was a young sailor named Bates/ Who danced the fandango on skates. /But a fall on his cutlass/ Has rendered him nutless, /And practically useless on dates.”
STORY: All three of you engage the minotaur in bloody combat. First Alejo falls, as his sword clatters to the ground. Then Millie gets in a good hit to the minotaur’s leg, and he’s crippled, but still swinging, and he takes Millie out. She disintegrates, leaving only Sweet between Tux and the minotaur.
STORY: Sweet, you glance back and see a red number over Tux’s head. 05
STORY: What do you do?
SWEET: Dance around the minotaur.
STORY: FA + Mettle please!
SWEET: I’m going to use a Close up
SWEET: /roll 2d6+3
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 5 + 3 = 8
STORY: Sweet dodges the minotaur, prodding him from behind, and the minotaur turns to face him. He watches the clock count down to 00 as the minotaur brings his axe down on Sweet’s head.
STORY: The three of you wake up in your suite.
STORY: What do you do?
SWEET: “I think he won?”
ALEJO: Alejo rushes to Tux’s gurney.
STORY: The three of you burst into the suite next door to find Tux weakly sitting up, unplugging himself from his IV and the cord, looking up as you open the door and smiling.
STORY: He stands, beaming, and his legs give out under him.
ALEJO: Alejo grabs him, hugging him and keeping him from falling, setting him back down.
SWEET: “Those are going to be a little untrustworthy for awhile.”
STORY: Alejo, he relaxes into your arms, smiling up at you. “Was it you who rescued me?”
ALEJO: “Gods damn you, Tux.” He smiles back. “It was a group effort. But the Doc and Sweet did more than their fair share.”
MILLICENT: Millie runs in and pushes him back over onto his bed. She pulls a tiny flashlight out of her coat and starts giving him a check up.
STORY: He winces, laughing, at the flashlight. “Jesus, who do I kiss?”
SWEET: “Hi, I’m Sweet. You can kiss me if you like.”
SWEET: “Mora don’t do that, sexually, but I don’t mind.”
ALEJO: “Sweet. Definitely kiss sweet.”
MILLICENT: “All of us, vigorously, but later.”