Outside 48: Hotter than Inside

[Morty]

[The Ruins of Old GLoG]

The creature is hit by the bullets, which seem to inflict some harm - a thick, green ooze starts to trickle. But the beast seems to ignore it for now, focusing on Thryscir and speeding its pace... just a little. It opens its mouth, far too wide than any anatomically-correct jaws should allow, and a long tongue lashes out, trying to slam into the lich and knock him over.

[Recaiden]

"Do you have any translator-organs lying around?" Because Benedict can't read the narrative text. "I can think of practical uses. I just can't think of a practical reason to deliberately indulge in hallucinogens." He doesn't comment about fighting a skilled shaman; he hasn't. His magic is generally less powerful than a shaman's, but more versatile. Assuming an Earl-shaman, anyway.

He's also going to raise a hand in front of him, near the translation-lens, ready to start sketching more symbols in the air.

"No. Such equipment is rare and highly valuable." Very valuable. Where the wasps come from, a universal translator would cost more than their entire research station. The technology exists, but it is too complex and expensive to mass-produce.

"Like I said."
"Anyway, if he can do a translation, it can't be too difficult, right? You don't really need universal. Almost everyone speaks Keeper's Tongue."
With that bit of 'advice', Moschu heads towards that last room to look around, leaving the wasps to Benedict for a moment.

[Reinholdt]

[Tauron's Temple]

"Too bad. But at least it gives me some ideas." Tauron remarks thoughfully. "But... I admit I don't know much about this staff of yours. I've heard to know what you're talking about but little else. I believe one of the pieces were taken from VIGIL by the demons during the invasion. Not certain how that happened but it's what I've managed to snap up from the demons. Speaking of which, were you aware that there are at least two, possibly three, different subfactions of demons? The one you fought against in Riverside is clearly different from the one that was rading seaside settlements at the same time. It's also possible that these two factions are joining up in seaside for some reason."

[Tauron's Temple]

"There are- were- two staffs created by the gnolls long ago in order to summon and control demons. They were made at the height of the gnolls' supposed 'empire' and were used for expansion and conquest. The staffs are imbued with the essence of the demon's god, and source of their corruptive essence. It's much a double edged sword for the demons and they're as much afraid of it as they are drawn to it." Ilpholin explains as best she can.

"One of the staffs is gone, part of the cause of that rift where Watchtower used to be. The other is in three pieces. I know not where the third is. But hearing that the second one has fallen into the demon's hands is distressing." Ilpholin told Anika they should try and wreck the piece, even if going under Anika's Lord Commander's wishes to do so. Bah. All the more reason to get back to seaside in a hurry.

"I care little about their organizational choices. They will all perish, but it two factions or a thousand. They aren't fighting each other and until they do, they might as well all be considered the same." Ilpholin paces back and forth. "Though I obviously can't investigate in New Inside and Seaside at the same time. Which do you think is more pressing?"

[Earl of Purple]

Old Wood

The moment Moschu has left, Benedict starts to sketch a shape in the air before him. The lines are black, and the symbol will flare when it's complete, hopefully forcing both wasp-people into a deep and dreamless sleep. He's hoping it'll work, since he's never used sleep-magic on wasps before.

This is also where the weakness of Occultism comes into play; it takes a while to draw the symbol, so the wasps might be able to react before it's complete and it takes effeect.

[bc56]

Old Wood

Moschu enters the last room. It's rather nondescript, save for four alcoves in the walls, filled with a gelatinous substance, and a silk sling next to each one, containing various objects which might be the individual wasps' possessions. On the far end of the room, a waist-high barrier separates a wide enclosure, wherein four creatures, like ants the size of cows, are contained. One of them is clearly severely wounded. It's lying in the far corner, and has a round patch of scarred and damaged exoskeleton near the center of its thorax.

Benedict's spellcasting is uninterrupted, although he may be surprised by the exact effect. Their antennae droop and they slump over, but their eyes are still wide open (they don't have eyelids). They don't seem to be aware, but he'd better be careful. They might not be sleeping the same way a human would.

[Recaiden]

Sleeping pods, quarters, and-
Are those experimental subjects? Food?

Moschu creeps closer, clambering over the barrier to get a closer look at the wounded ant-beast.

[Murkus]

[The Joining House]

”I might,” Blanche responds noncommittally, taking a seat across from Votsona. It wasn’t something she liked to think about, but she wouldn't deny that combat granted for her a grisly sense of satisfaction. "I'm used to brutal and dirty."

"Your people tell much better stories than mine," she remarks. "Technically I'm from the Nexus, but I was raised on a far-off world called Kore in the Hades System. Mom was a doctor, but I had other interests. Joined the military organization that ran things, fought for them until I realized they were self-righteous tyrants." There's a tinge of bitterness. "Things ended poorly, but I ended up back in the Nexus after that. Found a better group to support, went hunting, and here I am."

[The Joining House]

"Mm. Make it all sound so straightforward and neat. But I bet there's a few good stories in there waiting to be whittled out," the stag decides. Vots tears a piece of steaming bread in half and passes her the larger end, flipping out his finger to point at the top of Blanche's head. "Your mom-ma give you those? Your fluffy tail, hmhm?" He flashes her a quick smile.

"Is funny, you know. Humans, aha... they have only their good-for-nothing arse back there, and they wonder why they are so clumsy," Vots shakes his head.

[Earl of Purple]

Old Wood

Benedict really should have considered that they didn't have eyelids and can't therefore close their eyes when they sleep. He wonders briefly if they dream, or if they would dream if the spell he'd used didn't specify otherwise.

He'll stalk closer, trying not to make any sudden movements or do anything that might trigger a more alert state, and reach out to the nearest wasp, and sketch a shape against their carapace. The black lines of the symbol so drawn will sink into the wasp's flesh, hopefully paralysing all non-essential muscles. Benedict wants to do the same to the other wasp, but this is a particularly intricate symbol and requires a lot of focus and takes a lot of drawing.

[Arkhosia]

[A Different Sort of Party]

Electra knocks Cantata out of the rhythm she was in to some degree, but she's quick to respond with a pleasant and composed smile. He looked much like my target, but red and brass instead of purple and steel. He gave me a bit of money upfront, as well as designed a small gadget for me. She pauses for a second before adding, Nothing contingent on success. I didn't really get the sense he had much riding on me completing the mission in the first place, to be honest.

[The Joining House]

"You talk like that fluffly little tail of yours gives much of an edge," Blanche smirks back, tearing off a piece and popping it into her mouth. "And I'm not entirely sure. They could have come from either of my parents, but I did get my mom's colors, so maybe it was actually her." She avoids continuing the topic of what stories her own past offers, commenting "But I'm sure you've got your own stories to whittle out, especially about all your scars." Her cerise eyes watch his reaction intently, trying to gauge just how well he got the message that she didn't want anything whittled out.

[bc56]

Old Wood

The other ants shuffle away as Moschu approaches. The wounded one doesn't even respond. Without a firm knowledge of its biology, it's hard to say if it's dying or dead. The wound is definitely an old one though, roughly a 3-inch diameter circle of scarred carapace.

The first wasp stirs slightly as the glyph is sketched, but stops once the paralysis sets in.

[Recaiden]

Hmm. This will call for closer investigation, when she's back at home somewhere safe. In the meantime she can ask the wasps about it.

But before returning to ask them, Moschu does what any good explorer would do: she takes everything that's not nailed down. Personal possessions, the silken slings, it all goes into her small but spatial-anomaly-filled pack.

[Morty]

[Camping Trip]

"I think I have an idea," Wenomir says, watching the Glavenus closely. This is a really odd encounter, but ultimately an entertaining and possibly educational one. "It's a move I have been practising. I don't think I've shown it to you yet, so you can watch and learn."

He lifts the answer in an ox guard and faces a nearby withered tree stump. Without announcing himself, he becomes a flash of force and motion as he charges it, driving his sword into it with enough force to split it down the middle, before tearing it away and somersaulting above it in a dizzying spin, landing behind it and cutting twice diagonally with motions so rapid they seem simultaneous. The stump topples in several pieces.

[A Different Sort of Party]

"Maybe he just felt he had to try," Fayyaad postulates. "Or wanted to send Magtok a message."

[Earl of Purple]

Old Wood

Benedict's had quite a bit taken out of him by the last spell, so he has his surviving skeletons (I think there's two?) go over and hold the other sleeping wasp's arms. It doesn't matter if they wake it up, since Benedict's walking away and has pulled out his pistol. He's also going to find something to lean on.

[Shadowcaller]

[Tauron's Temple]

Tauron nods as she starts describing the staffs backstory. Mumbling "curious" and "interesting" occasionally.
"Don't you have any allies that might help you with the investigation?" Tauron inquires. "I'm not sure how relevant time will be here but this if anything calls for aid. I could always send out scouts to both or either location, but they would serve as eyes and little else. It seems imerative that these staffs are destroyed though. Could these fey possibly have anything to do with them?"

[bc56]

Old Wood

Moschu takes everything. EVERYTHING. Since it's not nailed down, nothing stops her. Most of the stuff taken are weird, organic devices and artifacts, some of which are clearly alive, and all of which would require some experimentation to understand.

Benedict can lean on a wall. There are plenty of those. Once grabbed, the other wasp starts awake, straining against the skeletons' grip and buzzing angrily at the occultist. If he's still using the translator, he can read that it's a string of rather rude, but creative epithets interlaced with assorted death threats.

[CosmicHobbit]

[The Ruins of Old GLoG]

The creature is hit by the bullets, which seem to inflict some harm - a thick, green ooze starts to trickle. But the beast seems to ignore it for now, focusing on Thryscir and speeding its pace... just a little. It opens its mouth, far too wide than any anatomically-correct jaws should allow, and a long tongue lashes out, trying to slam into the lich and knock him over.

The Ruins of Old GLoG

Seeing what the beast is doing, Thryscir braces himself just in time. He's hit by the tongue, but isn't knocked over.

Running at the creature, Thryscir's guns transform into two long swords. The swords have a different glow than the weapons from before. They're now coated in what appears to be dripping maroon energy. Thryscir attempts to slide on his knees underneath the thing, slashing at it's abdomen with the swords. The swords have lost their ability to hit incorporeal beings, but have gained the ability to cause biological beings to have their wounds burst into flames, should the swords find their marks.

[Recaiden]

Weird artifacts! This should definitely make coming here worthwhile despite the fact that the wasps arrived here by perfectly normal Nexus happenings.
Moschu strolls back into the previous room eventually.
"Oh. What's going on here?"

[Morty]

[The Ruins of Old GLoG]

The creature does indeed appear to be more corporeal than the previous spirits and the swords gouge into it. The resulting wounds burst into flames and the hungry spirit roars in pain, finally reacting. Nonetheless, it's only half-corporeal, as it were, and very durable, so it's not down for the count yet. Its arms lash out at Thryscir, trying to pound him with great force. They're neither quick nor accurate, but if they hit, they'll hit like trucks.

[CosmicHobbit]

Ruins of Old GLoG

Thryscir dodges one, but is hit by another. He skids along the ground, two ribs cracked and another two broken off. However, he gets up. Due to the magic fueling his body, he's more resistant to blows than the average skeleton.

He runs at the beast again, this time trying to slash any and all limbs that get near him until he's close to the monster, at which point he'll try to plunge the swords into the creature's head. However, if slashing of limbs doesn't cause them to stop their attack, he may get hit once more.

[Earl of Purple]

Old Wood

The translation lens still hangs in the air, but Benedict no longer stands near it, so he cannot read what the wasp is saying about him. He's pretty sure he knows the basics, anyway.

"They thought that it would be easy to overpower me and escape on their own, but I was able to stop them. I proved them wrong, however." He's breathing quite heavily and also lying, but he's pretty smooth about it. He does know he's lying, however, so truth-senses would detect it if normal ones don't.

[bc56]

Old Wood

The wasp can't understand Moschu, and continues buzzing angrily. She strains against the skeletons, trying desperately to free even one of her arms from the tight grip.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[A Different Sort of Party]

The rabbit tilts its head in a worried manner.

"What sort of gadget did he give you?" Electra sounds almost as worried as the rabbit looks.

[Reinholdt]

[Tauron's Temple]

Tauron nods as she starts describing the staffs backstory. Mumbling "curious" and "interesting" occasionally.
"Don't you have any allies that might help you with the investigation?" Tauron inquires. "I'm not sure how relevant time will be here but this if anything calls for aid. I could always send out scouts to both or either location, but they would serve as eyes and little else. It seems imerative that these staffs are destroyed though. Could these fey possibly have anything to do with them?"

[Tauron's Temple]

"Not as many as you might think." Anika or Cessie perhaps, but that's character in own player's plot. Wenomir and Adir would be good choices, but may be dependent on AMEN. Damon? She's been hard up for networking since she was last in an Org. Thinking about it leaves a rather depressed feeling in the nymph's chest. "I'll probably just check out the fey myself, since I'm only asking questions. If I find something worthwhile to set an ambush or head to Seaside, I'll bring someone in."

Ilpholin tilts her head. "The fey connected to the staffs? I mean... I guess it's possible. Maybe they helped to make them way back when? Oh no wait. They probably have the last piece. I betcha anything that's it."

[Shadowcaller]

[Tauron's Temple]

Tauron shrugs. "Just a suggestion. One would hope they aren't just killing them for fun, but who knows with those wretches. The sooner we are rid of them the better. Either way, I'll send my eyes out to seaside in case you can't find anyone to assist you then if that's alright."

[Arkhosia]

[A Different Sort of Party]

A handheld laser cutter disguised as a laser pointer, Cantata answers. After a beat, she adds I don’t have it on me, if you’re concerned about any means of tracking. Didn’t believe it would be useful for my work tonight.

[Recaiden]

The translation lens still hangs in the air, but Benedict no longer stands near it, so he cannot read what the wasp is saying about him. He's pretty sure he knows the basics, anyway.

"They thought that it would be easy to overpower me and escape on their own, but I was able to stop them. I proved them wrong, however." He's breathing quite heavily and also lying, but he's pretty smooth about it. He does know he's lying, however, so truth-senses would detect it if normal ones don't.

The wasp can't understand Moschu, and continues buzzing angrily. She strains against the skeletons, trying desperately to free even one of her arms from the tight grip.

Moschu lacks any sort of magical truth-sense, just strong prior beliefs that humanoids are very unreliable.
She scuttles around to the other side of the translation lens.
"Why would you do something like that after you lost the first fight? Weren't we having a nice talk?"

[Earl of Purple]

Old Wood

Benedict goes to stand where Moschu can't see what he's up to and readies his pistol. He can't read what the wasp-person says, but knows things are likely to go sour and has his pistol ready.

[bc56]

Old Wood

With the drawing of the pistol, the wasp becomes deadly calm. "Look behind you, carefully," she buzzes, "Do not draw attention to yourself. The human lies, and is preparing for the consequence. He drugged us and paralyzed my compatriot in some way. See how he readies his weapon. He knows I am not strong enough to escape. That is the act of a male preparing to kill."

[Morty]

[The Ruins of Old GLoG]

Thryscir's attacks strike home and wound the creature, but it's not down for the count yet. More ooze bleeds from the gashes as a gurgling noise erupts from its throat. The wound in the head is oozing particularly profusely. It seems as though the creature will soon bleed out, but it has one last trick in store. The ooze suddenly bursts forth even more, until it leaves the body behind like a discarded coat and crawls around on the ground in a shape reminiscent of its previous form. It will try to envelop and bind Thrysric in its tendrils.

[CosmicHobbit]

The Ruins of Old GLoG

Surprised, Thryscir is enveloped and bound. However, the moment after he's bound, he barks out a quick incantation and his swords disappear while his entire body is enveloped in the wine purple flames that were previously limited to his eye sockets. These flames have the special property of burns they inflict proceeding to decay the victims body if they are biological in nature, starting from the burn and spreading out. Thryscir is hoping that this could hurt the creature so long as the creature continues holding on to him.