[Nexus] AMEN XLV: The Zoo

[ThePhantom]

Henchman barrack

"Now gentlemen, how hard is to go and get a nice tree? Through, if you don't want to get it, we could always play some party games."

"No! No need for that, we'll be going."

Henchmen rush out of the room to get alway from Mr. E.

"Well, that's one thing done."

[Slii Arhem]

[Food!]

"Perhaps you should keep a notebook or something to hand? Record anything important before you forget it?" Isabelle asks, sliding her plate to one side.

Meanwhile, Wallace and Cedric have finished their food and are busy chatting in the corner. There's a lot of shrieking involved on one side of the conversation.

"Well, I don't think I'm part of a dream. So I'm reasonably sure you are talking to a pretty woman over a late breakfast in your underclothes."

Food!

"Most people would hope that they aren't part of a dream, I think. That's silly though. What's wrong with being a dream if the dreamer doesn't wake? Or even if they do, you would have died eventually anyway, so there's no real loss. Do you have any spare pants? I feel rather silly all of a sudden, sitting out here like this."

[Lord Magtok]

Magtok's office

Zulfirous shrugs and waves his hand. The stack of papers vanishes in a gout of flames, leaving behind a small dusting of ash.

I've been in between jobs for a bit and was looking to settle down and focus on my career. While passing through a dimensional crease the other day, I heard two colors talking about this Nexus and your organization. Apparently there have been quite a few high profile super villains that have sprung from this establishment and it seemed like a good opportunity to get back to my roots. It is always helpful to have a place to work free of adventuring heroes.

He pauses for a moment.

Of course, I am entirely willing to work for the best interests of this establishment as well as my own personal aims. My allies have been well rewarded in the past. Most of them, at least.

Magtok's Office

The cyborg nods, and shuffles through some papers. There's actually nothing of any relevance in those papers, he just wanted something to keep his hands busy.

"Well that's all very well, and your demonstration was quite nice, but it's not quite a perfect reflection of actual battle, is it? Just how do you do in high-stress combat situations? Let's say, I dunno, just for the sake of an example, the future of AMEN depends on you murdering each and every individual in this base, because they're all nasty Skrull clone spies or something? Or we're invaded by the cops in elaborate hologram disguises and I need some dumb muscle to clear a room?

Are you good at not being torn to pieces by lasers? Does a properly forged warhammer take you out of the fight in a single blow, or does there need to be some magicky shenanigans going on? Are you support, or do you have what it takes to replace ol' Jack Empty as our (and I use the necessary gaming term with nothing but disdain) tank?"

[Zefir]

Main Room

Jack Empty, or at least the thing that looks like him, enters the base proper. He glances around, curious about the state of the ACRO. How deliciously... boring.

Main Room

Since he is caught in many deadtimes Zefir may also appear here. He waves at the person who 'looks like Jack Empty'.

"Hey Jack, what's up?"

[Jacklu]

Magtok's office

Blah blah blah. Interviews are so tedious. Zulfirous always does his best to hold it together, but more often than not he loses focus and drifts off.

Man this place is stuffy. It's a good thing I don't technically breath anymore. I wonder if anyone ever thought of putting up those plug in air fresheners. Of course, they would probably go with something dreadful like lilac and fresh linen. Who even came up with that scent anyways? 'you know what I want? my house to smell like laundry all the time' Ha! They probably said exactly that. Oh, wait, is this guy still talking to me? Shoot. I should pay better attention.

He redirects his focus to Magtok and manages to pull a roughly accurate interpretation of what he was saying.

Well that's all very well... demonstration... quite nice.... actual battle... combat.... the future of AMEN depends on you murdering each and every individual in this base, because they're all nasty Skrull clone spies... invaded by the cops in elaborate hologram disguises... need... to clear a room.

Are you good at... torn to pieces... in a single blow... need to be some magicky shenanigans going on...

Zulfirous nods.

Yes, yes. I get the point. I always did like a hands-on interview better. Would you like any survivors? Oh dear.

He notices that Magtok is no longer breathing. Strange. Why would that happen? Oh, there it is. His skeletal hand is currently thrust into Magtok's chest and erupting from his back, the poor clone's spine clasped tight in Zulfirous' unholy grip.

Looks like I jumped the gun a little. Oh well. On with the show.

He turns and shakes Magtok off of his arm, letting the corpse drop to the floor with a wet thud. The skeleton raises his arms into the air and starts to chant.

The Rest of AMEN

All throughout the base, the floors begin to shake. Fissures of undead energy split open and disgorge waves of shrieking spirits that sweep through the base, attempting to assault anyone they meet with blasts of arcane energy. At the same time, skeletons wielding maces and shields crawl from the fissures and go in search of victims to bludgeon.

The skeletons are mooks and can be dispatched as you wish.

[Reinholdt]

I would have appreciated the respect of at least being contacted before a semi-godmoddy base-wide event.

Base

HALlelujah's drones will work on repairing the floor and shocking any henchman nearby into doing the same, since there isn't nearly as many of the little robots as there are colours. By the time the event is over, the floor will be fixed at least. But they won't be fighting any skeletons or such, unless someone grabs a henchman to use as a club. A distinct possibility.

[Gnrlshrimp]

Food!

"Most people would hope that they aren't part of a dream, I think. That's silly though. What's wrong with being a dream if the dreamer doesn't wake? Or even if they do, you would have died eventually anyway, so there's no real loss. Do you have any spare pants? I feel rather silly all of a sudden, sitting out here like this."

"If they're part of a dream, then that probably makes them feel like they have no free will...or something." Isabelle shrugs, she's never really thought about it. She just doesn't think she's part of a dream.

"I'm afraid I don't have any spare pants on me. I have some in my room, which I suppose is a lot nearer than yours. But if henchmen saw you and me walking in there together, they'd get the wrong idea." Isabelle chuckles, and motions at Wallace. The bear nods his heads and starts walking off. "He'll be back momentarily with a pair. I'm afraid you'll just have to sit here until then."

[Zefir]

Main Room

Zefir who is still sitting around in the Main Room yawns. The day have been boring and Jack is caught in the deadtime Ooze. And then the earth shakes and the noise of cracking bones comes from the hallway. Skeletons start pushing themself into the Main Room. At least a distraction from the 'normal' AMEN day.. or is it the other way around? things getting normal again? We don't know.

Zefir will take out a white ball with yellow stripes. He will throw it into the skeletons direction. The ball should land right between the incoming skeletons. With a 'click' the yellow stripes from a cross on top of the ball and the Room get's filled with a havens cour singing 'Halleluja'. After that the holy grenade explodes and (should) take the skeletons down, either by the holy energy or just with the blast itself.

[happyturtle]

Corridor >> Main Room

"Timothy Dalton!"

"Pierce Bronson!"

"Timothy Dalton!"

"Pierce Brons--urgh!"

"Yes! You got a skeleton through the face! That proves it! Timothy Dalton!" The first Moff exults. He enters the Main Room, hands lifted in victory pose, just in time to get Holiness to the face.

He drops to the floor, screaming and clawing at himself. "It burns! It BURNS!!"

[Murkus]

Main Room

Since he is caught in many deadtimes Zefir may also appear here. He waves at the person who 'looks like Jack Empty'.

"Hey Jack, what's up?"

It is Jack, for all intents and purposes. Or at least the part of him that made the man.

"I've got a little army being put together. How about you?" Jack asks. It's unclear if he's genuinely interested.

[Zefir]

Main Room

I just went for the things you said.
Zefir takes a look at the Hallway he just blew up.

"Just blewing up undeads and Moffs as far as I can see. The leaders keep us here without anything to do. Think you might not know about the change of leadership."

[ThirdEmperor]

Main Room

Brushing a speck of deadtime off his outfit the Cat Burglar slinks into the main area, glancing around a little nervously. "Uhm, I'm sorta trying to find an explosive that doesn't make any noise? If, uh, anyone here knows about something along those lines, er, yeah, that would be great?"

[BladeofObliviom]

[Main Room]

Cyrus is currently...

...lounging on the couch! Sounds about right.

"Silenced Explosives? Heh, that'd be a feat. I'm good at the explosion part, but I don't think I can make things spontaneously combust with subtlety."

Well, it seems there are some things Cyrus can't help with. Anyway, he thinks a moment.

"Speaking of missions, I should probably debrief with Ilpholin when she gets back. I have some blueprints that I'm sure she'd like to see."

He seems remarkably nonchalant about the whole zombie invasion thing. This might have to do with the fact that he can do this sort of thing himself when he's bored. Any skeletons who decide to take a swing at him might find themselves suddenly coming down with a case of instant and total hellfire incineration, though.


Zefir's Holy Grenade seems to make him recoil a bit though. His system really doesn't like to digest concentrated White Mana like that.

[Jacklu]

Main room

The skeletons are toasted. Easy. But following them a few moments later is a trio of ghastly spirits that scream into the main room and begin shooting bolts of arcane energy indiscriminately.

Everywhere

An echoy voice rings throughout the compound.

*aherm* Yes? Hello? Okay, so I've been instructed to kill you all I guess. I might not have been paying attention too well. Anyways, my ghostly minions will be dispatching you soon. And if that doesn't work, I was thinking of flooding the building with a deadly poisonous miasma. Um... Well, the gentleman didn't tell me to give you a fighting chance, but I am in his office at the moment if you wanted to stop me. Poor fellow is a bit dead right now. Half metal face. Ring a bell? Anyways, come and get me and all that. *kkssssshhh* I think that went quite well. These robes are so itchy, though. And I think they make my butt look flat and boney. Oh, you don't even care. You're just a corpse. Is that an echo? It's still on? Um.... Bwahahaha? *kssssh*

The voice cuts out.

[Murkus]

Main Room

I just went for the things you said.
Zefir takes a look at the Hallway he just blew up.

"Just blewing up undeads and Moffs as far as I can see. The leaders keep us here without anything to do. Think you might not know about the change of leadership."

"Oh, I know. There might be another very soon, if that keeps up," Jack promises him, lacking any sort of discretion. Hell, he could be joking.

Jack doesn't bother with the wraiths, unless explicitly attacked. He'll watch them zip about blasting things with some amusement, however.

[Hattish Thing]

Door

Thenardier returns for the base for a second time in six months! Though...he looks nothing like he used to. At all. Ever since he shot Reinholdt, his life had gone from bad to worse. He had almost gone insane in a magical desert after being trapped inside a soul gem for fifteen years. Though in reality he was only gone for three days, the soul gem aged him. Made him immortal, but insane. Almost. He walks with a crutch that used to be composed of sleek ebony wood. Now, there's a piece chipped off, the handle is slightly dented, and the crutch has odd brownish, rust-colored stains. He wears a long navy and gold coat, now ripped up at the bottom, several bullet holes in the back of the long coat. He wears his wide-brimmed, ripped hat. He has a brown-grey messy beard, that matches his long grey hair. His left leg is wooden, and clunks as he walks. He wears ripped up gloves, and black trousers. He has some kind of leather armor underneath the coat. He takes yet another swig from the hip flask at his belt before moving over to the door.

He knocks with a fist and looks about. The man smells of alcohol, gunpowder, and...oddly enough a corpse. His eyes flash around with evident paranoia, and hidden in his coat are about ten different pistols and one rifle, hidden in his boot are two magical knives, and up his sleeve is a special gun, strapped to his arm, covered by the coat cuff. Hallo? Anybody 'ere?

[Zefir]

"Oh, I know. There might be another very soon, if that keeps up," Jack promises him, lacking any sort of discretion. Hell, he could be joking.

Jack doesn't bother with the wraiths, unless explicitly attacked. He'll watch them zip about blasting things with some amusement, however.

Main Room

Brushing a speck of deadtime off his outfit the Cat Burglar slinks into the main area, glancing around a little nervously. "Uhm, I'm sorta trying to find an explosive that doesn't make any noise? If, uh, anyone here knows about something along those lines, er, yeah, that would be great?"

Main Room

Or Jack is just refering to the undead minion summoner.

"Yeah. Think Magtok got a creepy minion there. I only think it's a bad timeing. Illophen is out and killing the members wouldn't be usefull for him."

Then he turns to the Cat Burglar.

"An explosive that makes no noise? I got such a thing, but it's near useless." The bombe is really useless having a very very small radius, not much bigger than the bomb itself.

"If you need something usefull I could do something for you, but I can't let the noise disapear. I may be able to change the frequency so that humans won't hear it."

Since he is in mid of talking he ignores the ghasts, but soon he may check them out.

[ThirdEmperor]

Main Room

"Thanks, but thing is, the people I'm trying to sneak by, I'm pretty sure they've got better hearing than humans." Or not really sure at all, but also not willing to risk it. "If you happen to have something that doesn't make any light though, that might work too?"

[Hattish Thing]

Door

Thenardier growls and glares at the door. He couldn't hear anything, due to the thick doors, but he knew someone was in there! He taps at the door again, now getting somewhat upset. Hallo! I know yer in thar! Open up, where's yer manners? He raises his hand that's not holding up his crutch, and points ti at the door, inside the sleeve is a large gun, strapped to his arm... Open up!

[Slii Arhem]

"If they're part of a dream, then that probably makes them feel like they have no free will...or something." Isabelle shrugs, she's never really thought about it. She just doesn't think she's part of a dream.

"I'm afraid I don't have any spare pants on me. I have some in my room, which I suppose is a lot nearer than yours. But if henchmen saw you and me walking in there together, they'd get the wrong idea." Isabelle chuckles, and motions at Wallace. The bear nods his heads and starts walking off. "He'll be back momentarily with a pair. I'm afraid you'll just have to sit here until then."

Kitchen

"Tell him to watch out for the undead horde." Shayan replies, moments before the floor begins to crack and one of her vines lashes out through the space where a skeleton's head is just peaking up, shattering it instantly and scattering the pieces around the room. As she does this one of the arcane blasts tags her in the stomach, but even as the skin beneath her shirt purples in a sickening looking bruise and she suffers some internal damage, it is quickly healed by her hosted plant's regenerative properties.

Her breath is slightly wheezy as she continues speaking, "Duck please." Two of her other vines reach out behind her and uproot the fridge in preparation to hurl it at any other invaders who feel like ruining a perfectly good conversation.

Then the intercom says all of that nonsense, and Shayan tilts her head to the side, "How are you at dealing with poisonous vapor?"

[Jacklu]

Main Room

The ghasts don't like being ignored and start firing bolts at the people in the main room. Rather rude, really.

Kitchen

The refrigerator flies through one of the ghasts, dispersing its body momentarily. It reforms slowly and fires another volley at Shayan. Looks like physical attacks can hurt them, but it is hard to judge how much.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Kitchen]

"Um..." Isabelle mentally flicks through her list of protective spells.

It's pretty substantial. She's much more capable of ensuring that she and her animal friends stay safe than she is of tossing fireballs round and the like. But...poisonous vapour?

"There's a couple of things I could do to give me and Cedric temporary protection, but nothing that would last. Well...not in this large an area anyway..."

Isabelle dives off her chair and scrabbles beneath the table to avoid an arcane blast, not really able to think of a solution and fire off spells at the same time. She can only think so fast.

"Might I suggest we retreat back to my room? I could effectively seal it off so vapour couldn't leak in."

*****

Meanwhile...

Like a tank being assaulted by men armed with nowt but sticks and stones, Wallace thunders through any resistance encountered. Such minor threats are of no concern to the monster-bear.

*****

[Door]

Meanwhile...

The door opens!

And inside, Thenardier will see a ferret.

Just a ferret, standing in the doorway, staring at him.

It would seem the door-ferret managed to open the door, somehow.

Say hello to the nice door-ferret, Mr Thenardier!

[Hattish Thing]

Door

Thenardier smiles now, exposing gold teeth. His gums are somewhat rotted away due to heavy drinking of some harsh spirit. He lowers his arm, hiding the gun strapped under the sleeve. He still jingles with weaponry however. He stares at the ferret, somewhat confused. Wot th' hell are you? Ye work 'ere? M' Clegg...come t' join thi' place. Uh...wot the 'ell is going on in thar?

[Earl of Purple]

Corridors- Nephrim

The skeletal attackers will find an eleven year old girl with long black hair and green eyes and wearing a blue silk dress and a red tattered rucksack. "Ugh. Undead. So hard to control." Nephrim the Fallen Angel won't even try to mind control them, and take out a pair of pistols and start shooting. They're a bit loud, so she can't actually hear the broadcast.

Corridors- Dam'Bul

Elsewhere, skeletons may encounter a man in a business suit with a sabre strapped around his waist. He'll slice and dice the skeletons attacking him; he's quite good, too. If absolutely necessary, four large, leafy vines will unwrap themselves from his torso, shredding his shirt, tie and jacket. They'll flail around to destroy more skeletons. When he hears the voice-over, he'll start fighting his way to the member's rooms.

[BladeofObliviom]

[Main Room]

Cyrus yawns as most of the Ghosts just do nothing to him and anything in a short radius of him.

And then they get offended somehow and one singes his robe slightly. How rude.

The Planeswalker looks over at the ghosts, unamused, and simply points. Unless something unexpected happens, they'll find their very essence destroyed inexorably, their incorporeal bodies reduced to incorporeal dust.

Cyrus is not to be trifled with.

"I'm tempted to just torch the guy, but I say to let him have his fun. Not like I especially care what happens to most of the people here."

[Slii Arhem]

[Kitchen]

"Um..." Isabelle mentally flicks through her list of protective spells.

It's pretty substantial. She's much more capable of ensuring that she and her animal friends stay safe than she is of tossing fireballs round and the like. But...poisonous vapour?

"There's a couple of things I could do to give me and Cedric temporary protection, but nothing that would last. Well...not in this large an area anyway..."

Isabelle dives off her chair and scrabbles beneath the table to avoid an arcane blast, not really able to think of a solution and fire off spells at the same time. She can only think so fast.

"Might I suggest we retreat back to my room? I could effectively seal it off so vapour couldn't leak in."

*****

Meanwhile...

Like a tank being assaulted by men armed with nowt but sticks and stones, Wallace thunders through any resistance encountered. Such minor threats are of no concern to the monster-bear.

*****

[Door]

Meanwhile...

The door opens!

And inside, Thenardier will see a ferret.

Just a ferret, standing in the doorway, staring at him.

It would seem the door-ferret managed to open the door, somehow.

Say hello to the nice door-ferret, Mr Thenardier!

Kitchen

"I was going to suggest we go to Magtok's office and confront this man about his misunderstanding, but I suppose we could do that if you think our survival is more important than the rest of AMEN possibly dying a horrible suffocating death." Shayan replies calmly, her vines striking out every which way and disrupting spirits and skeletons alike. She doesn't seem too concerned about all of this hubub and tomfoolery.

[Zefir]

Main Room

"Thanks, but thing is, the people I'm trying to sneak by, I'm pretty sure they've got better hearing than humans." Or not really sure at all, but also not willing to risk it. "If you happen to have something that doesn't make any light though, that might work too?"

Main Room

"An explosive without light? Well I do have that, but it will still be different from a normal bomb. If I remember rght it will only have 90% of the explosion radius a normal bomb got. But I think I need some materials for that."

Then he stands up and prepares himself and speak to the planes walker.

"I agree with you in some things, but after all this guy would make it nearly impossible to go around here. And that's no fun at all."

[Jacklu]

Main room and elsewhere

More of the skeletons and ghasts are killed with ease. This almost feels easy... Too easy.

Meanwhile, a thin green fog starts to creep through the base. For now it clings to the floor and is not particularly deadly as long as you are not lying down and hyperventilating. But it will almost certainly grow in strength as time goes on.

Corridor outside Magtok's office

Members who approach Magtok's office find that the corridor has become rather corrupted. The walls are coated with a goopy fleshy material that pulses and squirms. Eyes in the flesh watch all who approach and the air is thick with necrotic energy.

[BladeofObliviom]

[Main Room]

"Tsk, oh fine. I'll just go incinerate the guy, then."

And indignantly, Cyrus stalks off. Of course, he must have secretly kinda wanted to. It's not like Zefir has any actual authority over him.


[Near Magtok's Office]

Seeing the fleshy gunk and feeling the aura, Cyrus isn't particularly perturbed. He's seen worse in this base alone, not to mention some of the creepier stuff he's seen in other planes. And the necrotic aura is practically comfy; It translates rather neatly to Black Mana, which basically powers him. So, uh, yeah.

The mildly annoyed Sorcerer attempts to simply melt the door with Hellfire. Because efficiency.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Kitchen]

"Well Shayan, my skills are not suited to directly confronting someone capable of doing this. In all likeliness, there's probably nothing in my arsenal of spells that could hurt this fellow. I rely on my animal friends for that sort of thing, but as I've said I can't permanently protect them from the poison vapour stuff."

As the undead nasties are dispatched, Isabelle climbs out and brushes some dust off her dress.

"If you think you're capable of achieving something, then by all means feel free to go confront him, but I'm going to go look after myself first."

In other words...Isabelle is taking the cowardly option. Off she goes, heading out of the kitchen.