Underworld Delve Quest #3

Or we could... Not do that, I guess. Um. I'm used to not getting votes but not having any rolls is kinda odd.

nobody wants to decide how many damn bullets they want to use, and you've never specified why we shouldn't unload everything in the first place.

Standardize that shit, and call for a specific roll

Bleh. Fuck it. You're right; it's a stupid system and I've already fucked the thread half a dozen ways anyhow. I'll just call the run and drop this, it'll work out better.

Bah. Y'know what? I was in a pissy mood for unrelated reasons when I said that. It was reasonably stupid. We'll fuck around with the rolling scheme and such like we screwed with the combat posts, but run resumed.

Rolled 6 (1d100)

For simplicity, writing. We'll try out a 'best of the first three' vote system for a bit.

You push your desire to shoot the fucking bastard beside you out of your head; there are things that need killing more. Like the thing that shot you with all those bones. You raise your rifle as best you can, noticing your hands are cold and your reactions are starting to get a bit sluggish. But Kira, dodging as she is, gets in the way at the last second, taking the bullet in her back; her armor keeps it from really hurting her, again, but it does knock her off balance.

The demon's not exactly slow on the uptake, either - the moment it sees she can't get out of the way, it blasts her with another cloud of those bone spikes, burying them in her side and arm (Kira: 5/15 HP).

That's. That's not good. That's not good at all. She's still alive, for what it's worth, but you really don't think she's going to be in much shape to fight much longer. At least she's buying you time by emptying her pistol into the thing's face as it tries to close in for the kill. (Nightmare Hellspawn: 20/70 HP, 10/20 PP)

The next shot actually hits it. And the one after that. But they're not hitting the important parts. Or, well. Part. It's pretty much just that skull, and maybe the joints. Whatever the case is, your bullets are all going into the mass of decayed flesh that makes up its torso, and you're pretty sure they're not doing anything.

What's worse is that you can see it's about to do something to Kira; it's reaching out with one of those hooks it has in place of hands, and you can't imagine getting touched by this thing is going to do anything good.

Had to do some house maintenance in a attic so I'm just getting back now. What... did i miss?

Well if ammo is a concern and limitation. the let us know and well try to work with it.

Ammo was gonna be one, but then again, you picked the gun with a fuckoff huge drum. And you've got five of them. A fight that's nearly killed you isn't even through the first.

As for missing things... I had some drama come up off here, but it's sorted. Anyhow, time to put up the votes.

>Aim for the head. If you can take this thing down, it probably can't kill her, and if nothing else, that's seemed to actually get reactions from it before.
>Try to hit the spike and snap it off, or at least make it get that thing away from Kira.
>Screw this. She's dead, it's busy. You need someone who can actually do something up. Davey's a coward, but he's also got nowhere to go, if you can get through to him.
>It's focused on mopping up her. And Davey will likely be a distraction. Maybe, if you can stand up, you can get out of here. You're pretty sure if you get those spikes out you can bandage yourself up.
>These pools have weird magical effects, sometimes. It's a longshot, but maybe drinking from one of them will do something good?
>Write-in.

Why did we just take more ammo instead?
Just have 2 or 3 mags. and the rest loose rounds. we can reload the magazines.

>Try to hit the spike and snap it off, or at least make it get that thing away from Kira.

Keep at it Kary. I can't stay up to vote but just keep calm, and don't be afraid to experiment, ask your audience their thoughts and advice, and otherwise find your groove.

The general on the other board may also be of use. Kinda slow this time of night, mind.

Rolled 93, 75, 69 = 237 (3d100)

I was debating that, but I figured it would be less hassle OOC this way. Which is... Eh. Maybe not my best idea. We'll see how it goes.

Yep. That's the plan. My miniature blow-up earlier was due to RL stuff making me upset. Happens. Thanks for the notes, though. (And I plan to - I've already switched the way combat posts work, plus I'm experimenting with a different dice method. Related to which, as we didn't get rolls... Rolling again. 1d100 from the voters, best of the first three rolls gets picked is the way it goes, if something needs dice, like combat.)

You consider just running. Leaving them here. You've done everything anyone could expect you to do. But you know what? Screw that. You're not going to leave Kira here when she probably could have just done the same thing herself, with better odds.

You don't have much time to line up the shot, leisurely though it's being about this whole thing. But fortunately, that doesn't matter; you're not sure if its arms are just weaker or if you hit some kind of pre-existing injury, but the bone hook shatters, leaving a jagged stump a foot back from where you hit it. (Nightmare Hellspawn: 12/70 HP, 10/20 PP)

That was actually pretty cool. At least, until it howls once again, triggering a wail of fear from Davey an instant later, and starts to charge you. You're pretty sure you're going to be this thing's dinner, but you're not going to go down without a fight, either way.

You take a few moments to aim, letting yourself adjust to the rhythm of its movements, the way its head moves as it awkwardly makes its way towards you, though despite the ridiculous gait it's adopted, it's not exactly sluggish. And then, you fire, directly at the center of the cracks in its skull. This time, it has to stop for a moment, trying to keep its footing. That buys you time for another, and you can see light shining through - you can't imagine that's good for a shadow demon. (Nightmare Hellspawn: 1/70 HP)

With a desperate screech, it flings one last set of bone spines in an arc, which fortunately misses you, then vanishes. The cloud of shadows goes with it, and you can see that the team who ambushed you is gone too. Probably took the opportunity to run off. Or whatever it was the robo summoned turned on them. Somehow you get the feeling assuming the latter is a bad idea. Especially since, somehow, Alexi survived enough to be weakly stirring, despite looking like someone stuck him in an over and the stink of burnt plastic coming from that direction.

Beside you, Davey starts to stir.

>Okay, NOW you can pass out.
>You son of a bitch!
>Kira? You alive over there?
>Alexi? You're... What the hell? Seriously, dude was burned alive after being shot.
>You kinda really should do something about those bones in you. Since you doubt your medic will.

>You kinda really should do something about those bones in you. Since you doubt your medic will.
Check on everyone after.
its almost 3 am for me. what is your time zone.

EST. IT's currently 5:00 AM for me. (And this run is nothing - last one was 20 hours.)

>You kinda really should do something about those bones in you. Since you doubt your medic will.
kick him AFTER getting it treated

Votes called. Writing.

You slowly drag yourself up until you're sitting against the wall, and start the slow, painful, process of removing all the bones from your chest. And, importantly, bandaging them up after.

Davey shakily stands while you're working, looking around him like he's just starting to take in his surroundings. The look on your face - and the fact that you can take care of yourself - convinces him to stay away, doing much the same for Kira.

Alexi, somehow, gets to his feet. You're pretty sure he's not human, at this point. Nobody should be able to live through getting hit with a flamethrower. Much less stand up with their knee full of shot after that. He sets to work on his own injuries, looking back down the corridor.

>Camp here for the night. It's wet, but you're not up to moving.
>Try to find somewhere further in to hole up.
>Head back, if you can.
>You're not sleeping until you figure out what was up with Davey.

>Team huddle, how do we stop that from happening again, and why can some of us survive being cooked like a goose.
then, after ignoring Davey long enough for him to settle down
>You're not sleeping until you figure out what was up with Davey.

Is that 'quietly figure out on your own' or 'ask Davey what happened'?

gently ask, hear the explanation, converse as a team if it's something that needs to be worked around, then Punch him in the face and say we're even.

Votes called, writing.

Eventually, you stand. It's painful, yes. But you manage it. And since you put that much work into getting to your feet, you're certainly not going to waste it sitting down again immediately. You end up on the other side of Kira from Davey. That's probably a good thing, thought you didn't expect him to seem so concerned for his patient after the crap he pulled. Alexi joins you both - Kira doesn't really count, since she's unconscious - a few minutes later, bringing the burnt-plastic stench with him.

Oddly enough, it's Davey who breaks the silence, and with a question you were going to ask. "What do we do to keep that from happening again?"

"Don't piss off small Asian girls with flamethrowers?", you suggest hesitantly, when it becomes clear Alexi isn't planning to speak up. "Speaking of which. Why can some of us -" You flash the big Russian a pointed look, raising an eyebrow at him. "- survive being cooked like a goose?"

"Tougher than normal," he says quietly, with a slow shrug. His voice is rough, cracked. It's not quite surprising, given the amount of fire used on him, and whatever fumes have left him /still/ stinking.

"No shit," you and Davey say at the same time. He coughs softly, and motions for you to go on. "Seriously, though. How'd you do that? And how are you walking around on that knee?" You go on on, shaking your head incredulously.

"I've been down before. You know that, da?" A quick nod is all it takes to confirm that, from both of you. "Sometimes you bring back things that are magic. You know that too. Well, others, you bring back just the magic."

You cock your head, frowning a bit. "So you're, like. Some kinda crazy mage person like the girl I shot?" That doesn't say good things about her probable deadness level. Though direct face-shooting might be more difficult to shrug off, and she seemed more about deflections. And fire.

"No." He shakes his head flatly, waving a hand through the air. "Not a mage. Just someone this place changed. Stronger, tougher. But not able to do things like she did."

>Well that's... Something. Maybe you should try to figure out more? That could be pretty cool. Or if you don't want it, recognizing how to avoid it is also good.
>You need some time to process that. And probably some rest. But in the meantime, Davey's turn.
>Write-in.

>>Well that's... Something. Maybe you should try to figure out more? That could be pretty cool. Or if you don't want it, recognizing how to avoid it is also good.

I've been running a while now and also reading so much Hellborn Quest that we're starting to talk like Siera. So I'm gonna break for an hour or two to recharge and then see about picking up running for a while.

Bump for when Kary gets back.

could you maybe vote while you're at it?

Kary RISES FROM THE DEPTHS OF HER NON-ETERNAL SLEEP. Gonna give it a bit to see about votes and then resume the run.

Right-o. Called, writing.

"Uh. Huuuuh." You frown a bit, looking down at the water. You're not sure you want to just be changed like he was, even if the ability to keep going like that does sound pretty sweet. "So anything I should watch out for as, you know, signs that that's going to happen?"

"No."

You wait patiently for him to continue, but he seems to feel that that's quite enough, and after a minute of silence, you angrily haul yourself to your feet, regretting the decision the whole way.

"Nothing? Come one, man, that's bullshit! There's got to be something. Otherwise she'd be one too!", you yell, jerking your thumb at Kira.

"She has been down twice, and she fought a demon mostly on its terms. How do you know she isn't?", he retorts, infuriatingly calm and quiet. Though the instant you open your mouth to speak, he holds up a hand to forestall your protests. "Drinking from the water here, it can do it. Or it can do nothing. Sometimes the creatures change you. Or the traps. Other times, though? It is simply random. Is that clear enough for you, or do need pictures?"

>So basically, you could turn into one of these things whenever. Great. You guess you ought to know more about the effects?
>Davey looks to have calmed down some, and Alexi's pissed. Sit back down and start talking to him.
>Dismiss the huddle and try to see if you can talk to him privately. Alexi probably doesn't know yet.
>Other?

Friends have showed up to drag me into the real world for some reason. Will be back in a few hours.

>Other?

Turn to Davey and ask him to do his fucking job, check on Kira and then check on our own wounds and Alexi for good measure

Davey already patched Kira up and you've put your own wounds to rights? She got shot by a demon and passed out. Alexi-checking is possible, but you're not sure how much help it would be given he's not fully human and seems to be at least as coherent as you despite being hurt worse.

Oh gotcha, I misread that, that's my bad in that case look for a vaguely defensible position and hold up there until we're feeling a bit better as far as moving goes

Fair enough. Makes sense. Is that moving deeper in, or going back?

Going back just a tad, familiar ground is more useful here but watch for the traps as Kira said they can rearm themselves

Right. Well, vote called, writing.

Gah, fuck. Right. Things dragged me away. Actually writing now.

You shake your head, leaning against the wall as you look down at Davey. "Can she be moved? Or is she gonna start bleeding out again if we pick her up?"

He shrugs a bit. "She might. But then, she'll definitely die if we get hit again. So... Yeah. We'll move her. Back into Linear, I think. That place has actual rooms and shit. Places we can hunker down for the night."

Alexi doesn't say anything, but he does turn and start walking back the way you came. Which you suppose counts as approval, so you start making your way back down the corridor behind him, Davey - with Kira in his arms - bringing up the rear.

Eventually, you reach a room and shut the door behind yourselves; the other entrance is shattered and open, with nothing really around to block it off, but it's at least better.

>Talk to Davey about that whole thing that happened where he wasn't doing anything.
>Just set up camp. You can talk later.
>Talk with Alexi.
>Other?
Also, if we could get some D100 rolls as far as what happens during the night, that'd be good.

Rolled 54 (1d100)

>Just set up camp. You can talk later.

Perimeter security should be our biggest focus as our team is effectively at half strength

Rolled 14 (1d100)

supporting

Rolled 7 (1d100)

3rd roll just to have it

Right. Called, writing.

You settle in to camp, with a fire in the middle of the room, and Kira beside it; Davey volunteers for first watch, but the glare you shoot him makes him quiet down. Not that it matters too much. You don't see anything through the night, and you eventually have to wake him up and collapse into sleep yourself, much as you hate to.

But you're all alive and there in the morning, at least. So either nothing came along or there's somethin even stranger going on here.

>Eh. Whatever. Davey's been okay since he freaked out, let it be.
>Question him over breakfast.
>Ask Alexi about the weird shit going on with him.
>You can eat on the way. Time to keep moving.

Sorry for the short update, but the night went well by the rolls. Seemed best to just let you move on, though you can also vote for anything that you wanted to have happen overnight.

>Question him over breakfast.

Check on Kira again

Votes called. Will write after I walk the dog.

Kira shifted from 'unconscious' to 'sleeping' at some point during the night; it's hard to pinpoint exactly what the difference is, but there definitely is one. You consider letting her rest, but food's important too, so after a few minutes to get the MREs you took with you laid out, you gently shake her awake; Davey hurries over when he sees her starting to stir, and you take the opportunity to speak up.

"So. What was that all about, last night?" You keep your voice quiet, trying not to sound too accusing, but it's hard avoid sounding bitter. "You know. With the whole going tharn thing."

"I..." He trails off, looking down at the ground and shaking his head. "I don't fucking know, man. I'm not a coward, I fought those crazy-ass robot things, but when that thing screamed... I couldn't do anything. I wanted to, but I just. I don't know, I was scared, but it didn't feel normal."

>You had some of the same thing going on the first time it howled like that. Magic?
>Just don't let it happen again.
>That's not an answer. Or much of an excuse.
>Kira? Any thoughts?
>Other?

>Just don't let it happen again.

I am going to break from running for an hour or two. Because some stuff blew the fuck up and I'm in the mood to beat the hell out of something, so I need to calm down before I resume.

>You had some of the same thing going on the first time it howled like that. Magic?

Okay. Back. More like... Shit, four hours already? Meh. Running again. Think like twenty minutes for us to untie, otherwise I'll just do a combo.

Alright. Votes called. Sorry about that, my breakfast exploded.

"I can kinda get that," you reply quietly, folding up your meal wrapper and tucking it back into your bag. "I had a little of the same thing going on at first. Maybe it was magic or something? Just... Don't let it happen again. You get me?"

"Yeah. I... Like I said, I didn't mean for it to happen in the first place." He gives you a helpless look, accompanied by a little half-shrug, and without further ado, you set off. Eventually - with Kira talking you through things from where she's quite literally looking over your shoulder, having to lean on you to stand - you make it back to the hole in the ground.

Which is where the next set of problems comes along - Davey is the only one remotely capable of climbing right now, and that was your exit plan.

>Rig up a sling. Davey can haul you all up.
>Call for help. Gotta be someone up there still.
>Send Davey up to find someone.
>Other.

>Rig up a sling. Davey can haul you all up.

>Send Davey up to find someone.

>Rig up a sling. Davey can haul you all up.

Rolled 8, 49, 40 = 97 (3d100)

Huh. Well then. Okay. People are voting still. I figured the run died after I passed the fuck out. Vote called.

Is it that hard?