Sekani has the strangest feeling of deja vu.

Grasshopper says Sekani is most likely showing symptoms of the CONTAMINATION. After analyzing his blood, Grasshopper found that Sekani is slowly mutating. At the current rate, he has about 28 hours before it takes its course.

Grasshopper says that past patients often spoke of their attempts to unlock Majicka. Perhaps Sekani has become an accidental guinea-pig in those experiments.

Amiel reports that while Grasshopper was keeping watch on Sekani, she poked around on the computer in the COMMAND CENTER. She didn't find much, but if one of them stays behind they might be able to learn more. There might be doors that need to be unlocked remotely, as well.

They have ABOUT 40 MINUTES until the SOLAR PANELS can no longer create power. If they are to venture to the other buildings and hopefully cure Sekani, they have to get that GELATIN so his wing can completely heal overnight.

Who will stay in the COMMAND CENTER, and who will venture to the RECREATION BUILDING?

OOC: Amiel has the DEADLY WEAPON, a lack of COWARDICE and isn't suffering from CONTAMINATION or BLOOD LOSS, so... she should probably go into the recreation building. Sekani can rely on his WIRE CUTTERS and maybe even Grasshopper if he gets in trouble, but this area seems fairly secure.

Besides, this way we know Amiel won't be staring at our backside the entire time *cough*[/ooc]

>Amiel

[Technically Sekani has absolutely no idea that she's--

I mean what are you talking about hahahahaha]

OOC: I do agree! Sekani's habit of wetting himself probably wouldn't do much good against whatever might be lurking in the recreation building - and besides, Amiel can just cloak herself if she needs to bypass something skeevy.

This!

Ask Grasshopper about this Majicka stuff.

>Ask Grasshopper about this Majicka stuff.

Grasshopper was only told the basics, but apparently it was an ongoing attempt to grant special powers to their race. With Majicka, they could create fire from nothing, heal wounds, or even create creatures of pure majicka. As far as grasshopper's aware, they had never succeeded in going past the theoretical stages. It theorizes that while it was offline they finally pulled it off... and then chaos ensued.



There isn't much time to spare. Amiel leads Sekani to the COMMAND CENTER. Sekani says that he is not very good with computers, but he'll do his best.

Amiel explains how he can lock or unlock doors, and how to switch camera views. He can even use the LOUDSPEAKERS (assuming they still work) to communicate with Amiel. She can use HAND SIGNALS to communicate back. It's not as handy as radios would be, but they don't have time to go searching for some.

What should Amiel do now?

[GUYS WE CAN'T SEE COLOR ANYMORE THIS MIGHT BE A PROBLEM]

> Check the CAMERAS to see what's in that thar RECREATION BUILDING.

OOC: bad, but probably better than the alternative =(![/ooc]

>Have Sekani test the loud speakers so Amiel knows if she can count on them!

[Oh ahaha Amiel is COMPLETELY colourblind and not just a two-colour type. Oh Shiiiiii-]

> If the RECREATION BUILDING seems safe, venture there.

>Check the CAMERAS to see what's in that thar RECREATION BUILDING.

The rooms she can see look empty, but four of them aren't showing up. Amiel will be unable to communicate with Sekani while in those rooms.

>If the RECREATION BUILDING seems safe, venture there.

After unlocking the doors, Amiel waltzes right on in!
The RECEPTION AREA doesn't seem to have any actual reception. There's a screen that presumably played some kind of video. Amiel's HIGH SECURITY CARD should enable her to get through some of the doors in this place.

>Have Sekani test the loud speakers so Amiel knows if she can count on them!

Sekani's voice is heard over the loudspeaker system. He asks if she can hear him. She nods. He says he feels kind of weird-- his arm feels off. He sounds scared as he asks her to please hurry.

He's nothing like the Tezakians Amiel heard about. He's not bloodthirsty or evil at all. He'd probably pee his pants (again) if a fly landed on him...

Sekani: INSPECT ARM??

Amiel: INSPECT RESTROOM.

OOC: judging by the cameras... I'd say the restroom (screen 6) and excersize room (screen 12) lead nowhere. Normally I'd be all for exploring, but we got ourselves a time limit![/ooc]

>go to Rest Area

> Poke welcome screen. Admire self in reflection.

>Poke welcome screen. Admire self in reflection.
Poking the screen yields no response. It must not be powered on.

Hey there, sexy. Is it hot in here, or is it just you?

AMIEL GAINS +1 SELF ESTEEM!


>go to Rest Area

Seems like this place is untouched by whatever chaos had claimed the facility. There's also no obvious items to pick up. How boring! It looks like the STORAGE ROOM is to the left. With about 30 minutes left, she should have no trouble making it back in time.

>Sekani: INSPECT ARM??
Sekani is currently an indirect character!

Amiel suddenly remembers that STRANGE GROWTH she saw on Sekani's arm. Eeeuuggh. It looked fleshy and stuck out from his feathers. She didn't bring his attention to it because she didn't want to alarm him, but he's probably discovered it on his own by now...

CHECK BEHIND THE COUCHES FOR ANYTHING OF NOTE

>Then Storage

>KICK DOWN STORAGE DOOR

>CHECK BEHIND THE COUCHES FOR ANYTHING OF NOTE

There's nothing behind them. They're bolted down, so they can't be moved.

>Check Storage

Hmm. The door is locked, and Amiel's SECURITY CARD doesn't work. Maybe Sekani can...

>KICK DOWN STORAGE DOOR

Amiel kicks the shit out of the door!



OW OW OW THAT WAS SUCH A HORRIBLE IDEA.

A soft "Click" is heard as Sekani unlocks the door for her.



There are several boxes in here. One of the boxes appears to be what she's looking for, but it's leaking a STRANGE LIQUID. It's either purple or, um, blue? Hmm.

Amiel really hopes that liquid isn't the LABIATAE GELATIN. That would be bad.

> Open medical supplies box and see what's leaking.
> Also add water to inventory, that shit comin' outta the faucets is probably non-potable.

>Apply TOWEL to LABIATAE JELLO
>Use CRATES to construct SAMMICH

>Add water to inventory, that shit comin' outta the faucets is probably non-potable.

Amiel adds some WATER to the BIC.


>Open medical supplies box and see what's leaking.

It looks like the container of ANTIBIOTICS has leaked with age. Hopefully Grasshopper has some of its own, else they will be powerless against their mightiest foe: INFECTION.

There are two jars of LABIATAE GELATIN, some BANDAGES, and a MEDICAL KIT.


>Apply TOWEL to LABIATAE JELLO ANTIBIOTIC LIQUID

The TOWEL has little effect on the PURPLE/BLUE ANTIBIOTIC FLUID. It dried long ago.

>Use CRATES to construct SAMMICH
Crates aren't very tasty! However, the food is amazingly well preserved, so Amiel constructs a sandwich.

Amiel has a little trouble enjoying her sandwich.



Amiel hears something over the loudspeakers. Sekani sounds anxious. He probably doesn't appreciate the fact that she's eating a sandwich when his... Tezakianity is at stake.

> Stick the whole medical supplies box in the BIC

And if the thing as a whole won't go, take the labiwhatsis and some bandages. We can come back for the medical kit later, now that we know it's here.

> Save half of SANDWICH in FOOD CONTAINER to share with Sekani, for sandwiches are delicious. Make mental note to give him water when they meet again to help with blood loss.

>After we're done here, go back to the crybaby, er, Sekani.

>Stick the whole medical supplies box in the BIC
>Save half of SANDWICH in FOOD CONTAINER to share with Sekani, for sandwiches are delicious.

Amiel adds the ENTIRE MEDICAL BOX and HALF A SAMMICH to the inventory.

It looks like she's discovered a loophole in the BIC's ten item limit!


>After we're done here, go back to the crybaby, er, Sekani.

That's kind of mean. She finds his cowardice kind of cute, in a pathetic sort of way. The years of propaganda melt away when she sees how helpless and vulnerable the Tezakian truly is. She always knew--



WHAT THE



FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

> ASK WHO OUR NEW FINE FRIEND IS. WITH DEADLY WEAPON READIED. YOU KNOW. JUST IN CASE.

CLOAK FIRST AND ASK QUESTIONS AFTER

>seconding cloak, then sneak out the door and go back to Mr. Didn't-Warn-Us.

[Helpful hint:
"Amiel hears something over the loudspeakers. Sekani sounds anxious. He probably doesn't appreciate the fact that she's eating a sandwich when his ...Tezakianity is at stake."]

...Yeah, okay, cloak, go back through the door, and make "OMG" faces and armflailing at the cameras until Sekani says something useful, like maybe 'it's gone now' or 'it came from x' or something.

>This.

>ASK WHO OUR NEW FINE FRIEND IS. WITH DEADLY WEAPON READIED. YOU KNOW. JUST IN CASE.
>CLOAK FIRST AND ASK QUESTIONS AFTER

Amiel decides that cloaking might be the best choice!



The monster seems confused! It begins to sniff the air. Amiel carefully treads towards the door...



Why's the door locked!? Amiel decloaks so Sekani can see her. She hopes he gets the idea and opens the goddamn door!

A soft click is heard. The beast hears it and turns to face Amiel!



Amiel quickly opens the door and enters the RECEPTION AREA. She slams it closed and prays Sekani locks it before she's killed!

*Click!*
*SMASH!*
*BANG!*
*THUD thud thip thip...*
The sounds of footsteps fade away. The monster seems to have given up for now.



Amiel's heart is pounding incredibly fast.

>DON'T STOP, GET OUT GET OUT (Ahahaha!)

Thiiiis! Make sure Sekani opens the door back first - point at it or something - and then cloak just for good measure before proceeding.

Sekani is heard over the loudspeaker. He asks if she's okay. Amiel says she will be when her heart stops beating like a hummingbird's wings. She then realizes he can't hear her. She's glad nobody saw that.

>DON'T STOP, GET OUT GET OUT
>Make sure Sekani opens the door back first - point at it or something - and then cloak just for good measure before proceeding.

Amiel points back. Sekani says that he's lead the monster further back. It's currently hanging out in the SWIMMING POOL area. Amiel cloaks and heads back outside.



What the--! The door's locked. Amiel realizes that in her panic she dropped her HIGH SECURITY CARD. Sekani doesn't know enough about the MAIN COMPUTER to access the security system for this building, so Amiel's going to have to find another way in if she doesn't have any better ideas...

>MARVEL at NEWFOUND ABILITY TO SEE RED

>MARVEL at NEWFOUND ABILITY TO SEE RED

You just had to ruin it for her!

> Also marvel at missing drippage bloodstains!

> Can we shoot the lock?

>Also marvel at missing drippage bloodstains!

Amiel wishes SOMEONE would stop using the wrong templates!



Amiel inspects the lock. It looks like a very fun color puzzle! She can't wait to be completely unable to solve it!



The door is now unlocked.

>Go back to the control room and bring Sekani to the medbay.

>Go back to the control room and bring Sekani to the medbay.
Amiel heads to the control room.



Amiel waves to Sekani. She says she got the GELATIN, so now they can restore his ability to fly. Sekani just stares at her in silence for a moment, then jumps out of the chair.



Sekani hugs Amiel tightly. He says that he was so worried that she was going to die in there and he wouldn't be able to repay the hug he owed her.


Amiel hugs him back.

"You don't owe me anything, Sekani. You've saved my life. Thank you."

They end their embrace after a bit and head to the MEDICAL ROOM. There isn't much time remaining.



Grasshopper begins its work on Sekani. He winces, obviously struggling to keep his composure.

He might be a coward and kind of a crybaby, but Sekani came through for her when she needed him most. Maybe Tezakians aren't so bad after all, just like she's always believed.


They quickly head to the BUNKER ROOM. Not long after they enter and lock the door, the lights begin to dim. It'll only be a few more minutes before the place completely loses power. It's at this point that Amiel wishes she had brought a flashlight.


It is still too early for either of them to feel very tired. They can try to fashion a light out of something, or they can rush to get settled before the power fades fully.

I don't trust that CLOTH on the FLOOR. But since it's stuck...

> Use WIRE CUTTERS to cut the STRANGE CLOTH away from the floor

OOC: I dunno, I'd almost be more willing to stay in the MEDICAL ROOM then the BUNKER because then we'd have Grasshopper for protection if something goes wrong. There's even a bed for the wounded, and we can commandeer a mattress and sheets for Amiel to sleep on the floor. Of course, this is all assuming that grasshopper's power won't go out with the rest of the power.

What do you guys think?[/ooc]

OOC: I'm willing to bet that Grasshopper might go with the rest of the power - and even if he doesn't, he was doin' something pretty funky with the ex-doctor's remains beforehand, and we never got the chance to question him about them. I'd personally not spend the night with a pointy-bits-equipped-robot whose V1 went nuts and killed some folk, even if it is Grasshopper.

The bunker, at least, is supposedly hard to break into - being a bunker and all.

[Yeaaah when the lights go out is when robots feel they can get away with shit. Grasshopper seems like he'd be disconnected from the main power source and running on some sort of battery or fuel cell, so he'd PROBABLY be awake all night with us.

And of course that would be the perfect time for some robot revolutionary tactics, wouldn't it?

I vote staying in the bunker.]

Fashioning a light seems like it might be pretty difficult, unless they found a way to light the sammich on fire or something.

Hey, speaking of sammich, Amiel should give Sekani his part.

And give him some water to drink to help him recover after all that blood loss.

>Fashioning a light seems like it might be pretty difficult, unless they found a way to light the sammich on fire or something.

Neither Amiel nor Sekani manage to think of a way to create an artificial light. They decide that their time would be better spent getting as much done before total darkness as possible.


>Hey, speaking of sammich, Amiel should give Sekani his part.
>And give him some water to drink to help him recover after all that blood loss.
>Use WIRE CUTTERS to cut the STRANGE CLOTH away from the floor

Amiel gives Sekani the BIC and tells him he can have the SANDWICH. He thanks Amiel and begins chowing down. He says it tastes a lot better than his rations would have.

Amiel cuts away at the STRANGE CLOTH.

Underneath is some wood. There's a hole here. Instead of fixing it properly, it looks like they just covered the hole with wood and cloth and called it a day.

[...lol lazy bums. We'll probably want to rip those planks up later though.]

> Select beds that are relatively clean and comfortable and prepare to settle in for a long get-to-know-each-other session in absolute darkness while huddling under covers. (Apart or together, I'm not picky.)

[Well when you have MONSTERS running around you don't really have the time to do actual reconstruction with proper materials!

And hey if they REALLY need a light that holding device makes a bit! You know, for emergencies.]

>Take stock of inventory, drink a bit of water before it gets too dark to see it and wind up spilling it all.

>Speculate on the monster. IT SURE LOOKED LIKE A MUTATED LIAN TO ME.

Hmm. Is it possible to move around any of the bunks? If so, try and position one over that wood - don't want to chance any creepycrawlies bursting through it in the middle of the night.

Actually, we can make a light...

> Quickly get BATTERY from the MEDICAL ROOM if we don't already have it, then take out WIRE and PENCIL. Split pencil open with WIRE CUTTERS to extract lead. Wrap wire around a lead piece and connect to battery for light.

[It probably won't last more than 20 minutes, but should be good in an emergency and brighter than the BIC, I guess?]

The broken GPS should have a battery in it too, right? Perhaps no need to go back, then!

>Speculate on the monster. IT SURE LOOKED LIKE A MUTATED LIAN TO ME.

Amiel sits down and wonders about the strange monster. It DID look kind of like a Lian, didn't it? Grasshopper mentioned that "Majicka" could create monsters. Could that thing have been a beast? Or did they use the Majicka to convert a Lian into one? Sekani thinks for a moment, then grins slightly.

"I think we should call them Majibeasts," he says.

Amiel raises a brow. "Why would you want to call them that?"

"Because it sounds kinda cool."


>Take stock of inventory, drink a bit of water before it gets too dark to see it and wind up spilling it all.

Amiel asks if she can have some water from Sekani's WATER CONTAINER. For all she knows they tampered with their water bottles as a part of their experiments.


>Quickly get BATTERY from the MEDICAL ROOM if we don't already have it, then take out WIRE and PENCIL. Split pencil open with WIRE CUTTERS to extract lead. Wrap wire around a lead piece and connect to battery for light.
>The broken GPS should have a battery in it too, right? Perhaps no need to go back, then!

There is no longer enough power to unlock the door, but Amiel manages to use the GPS battery instead. Sekani asks what she's doing, and she explains that in a pinch this will provide emergency lighting for a few minutes. Sekani excitedly compliments her for being so clever and resourceful.


>Hmm. Is it possible to move around any of the bunks? If so, try and position one over that wood - don't want to chance any creepycrawlies bursting through it in the middle of the night.

Even Majibeasts would have trouble getting through the wood AND the bed!


>Select beds that are relatively clean and comfortable and prepare to settle in for a long get-to-know-each-other session in absolute darkness while huddling under covers. (Apart or together, I'm not picky.)

Sekani picks a bed for himself and starts settling in. Amiel isn't sure if she should sit beside him so they can talk, or suggest they cuddle bundle up for warmth (it's already starting to get kind of cold). Or she could just take the other bed.

> Meekly suggest sleeping together for warmth. Sort of mumble and toe the ground and poke your fingers together while glancing away while you ask.

OOC: Awww, Amiel!

Warmth and possibly safety. It's probably best they're within whisper distance. Just in case.

OOC: The only other things of note inventory wise are the DEADLY WEAPON and WIRE CUTTERS, right? Since neither of those is in the BIC. I can't remember if anything else isn't in the BIC.[/ooc]

>Check on cloaking device power. Gotta take stock of that too! Assuming it's power is a concern.

>Check on cloaking device power. Gotta take stock of that too! Assuming it's power is a concern.

According to the POWER LIGHT, the suit has about 30 minutes of cloaking power left.


>Meekly suggest sleeping together for warmth. Sort of mumble and toe the ground and poke your fingers together while glancing away while you ask.

Amiel cutely asks Sekani if she could sleep with him. You know, for warmth. If it's okay with him.

Sekani says that's fine with him, if she doesn't mind him taking off his shirt and pants. Apparently Tezakians don't sleep with their clothes on.

She says that's completely fine with her and there's absolutely no reason why it wouldn't be. Besides, his feathers are really soft.

She didn't say that last part out loud.

>Warmth and possibly safety. It's probably best they're within whisper distance. Just in case.

....

Yes. Whispering is important.



Sekani begins to disrobe. Amiel wishes she had thought to bring pajamas. The CLOAKING SUIT is not very comfortable. The ELECTRONICS alone weigh a good 40 pounds.

The LIGHTS are almost completely out, but it's still fairly early. At least she has someone to talk to while she waits to be tired enough to actually sleep.

OOC: I'd advise not sleeping in the suit. Could accidently roll over and turn it on or something and then it'd be useless from now on =| And that's just in addition to the weight of the thing[/ooc]

Yeah ditto this.

Ask to wear Sekani's clothes to sleep in? 8Da

>WHILE WAITING as Amiel about her home and family. >_>

>Ask to wear Sekani's clothes to sleep in? 8Da

Amiel sheepishly asks if she can borrow Sekani's shirt. She decides against wearing his pants, considering what they've been through today. Sekani says sure.



Amiel removes her waistband and prepares to lift her shirt.



....


Sekani offers a friendly wave.

Amiel asks if he would kindly close his eyes.



Amiel is thankful that she's braver than Sekani. She would really hate to have to deal with soiled underwear. She asks Sekani for his shirt, which he hands to her.



The shirt is a little big, which in this situation is actually preferable. It's really soft and comfortable. She'll have an easy time sleeping in this.

>WHILE WAITING ask Amiel about her home and family.
Amiel already knows all about her home and family!

She decides instead to tell Sekani a bit about her family. Her father was a very kind man, and would always bring her a present when he was on leave. Four years ago, he stopped returning. He was killed in action by a, erm, Tezakian.

Sekani apologizes. Amiel gestures with her hand and says it wasn't his fault.

Amiel's mother went kind of crazy after that, and life at home was so chaotic that she was actually kind of glad when she got drafted into the LIAN ARMED FORCES.

She also has an older brother, who she's very close with. He's in a different company so they don't see each other much, but they write each other all the time. He's currently planning on marrying a girl he's been with for the past two years, after his three year tour is completed.

> Ask Sekani if he has a sweetheart back home.

And about his family!

> Then remember he was flying across the desert to visit his girlfriend and become obviously disappointed.

>No, don't, cause Sekani's sweetheart is in LIANTOPIA (as noted by map)

[Shhhh see above!]

Isn't it cold?
> Steal all the blankets and pillows from the other beds and make a fort.
> Make use of blankets while chatting.

[Nope, it's HOT!

...i'll be good]

[*spritzes with water bottle*]

[NO MY ONE WEAKNESS!


WATER!]

>Isn't it cold?

Amiel and Sekani realize that it's getting pretty cold. Apparently they were, erm, distracted until now.


>Make use of blankets while chatting.

Amiel notes that they might be warmer if they share a blanket. Sekani says he sees the logic in that.


>Ask Sekani about his family.

Sekani says that his parents had avoided fighting in the war, instead running a resturaunt. His mother always had faith in him, even though he's kind of a coward and not very good at anything. His father... he seemed kind of disappointed in him.

Sekani has two brothers and a sister, and they are a lot smarter and braver than he is. They probably would have smashed through all the doors, wrestled the Majibeast to death, and have flown out of here with nary a worry.

Amiel says that he shouldn't be so hard on himself. If any of his family were here instead, she wouldn't have met him, and she would not have been able to confirm that there are good, kind Tezakians out there.


>Ask Sekani if he has a sweetheart back home.

"W-well..."


>Then remember he was flying across the desert to visit his girlfriend and become obviously disappointed.

Oh right.

"Actually..."


Sekani says that he wants her to be able to trust him, so he's going to come clean. He doesn't actually have a Lian girlfriend. He was scared that she'd kill him if he told the truth, so when she came to that conclusion he didn't correct her.

He apologizes for concealing the truth, but he was actually on a scouting mission when he was shot down. He wanted to make his father proud, so he joined the Tezakian forces. The thought of fighting the Lians terrified him, so he became a non-combat Scout. Sure, it meant being considered dead the moment he got shot down, but at least he'd go down knowing he meant something.



So, wait.

Sekani doesn't actually have a Lian girlfriend?

Amiel doesn't know how to feel about this!

> Ask if he wants a Lian girlfriend.

>Ask if he wants a Lian girlfriend.

Amiel knows someone who might be willing to take the job.



Sekani stammers. "Um, uh..."

Part of her mind tells her she's crazy, but another part tells her that first part is dumb and stupid. Oh, what the hell.


She leans against him. His feathers are really soft!

Aww, he's shivering.



Amiel tells him he can put his arm around her if he wants. She won't mind.

Sekani nervously raises a hand. This must be the first time anyone's made him this offer. It's really cute.



If only her mother could see her now...

....

They don't say much for the next hour, enjoying each other's company in moderate silence. Eventually, Sekani says that they should probably get to sleep. It takes them quite a while to convince each other to let go long enough to do so.

Time passes...



creeeaaaakkk...



*CRACK! THUMP! CRASH!*



Apparently the flimsy wood used to patch the hole was no match for the bunkbed. What little can be seen with the BIC's light reveals that this hole was not created by accident. There appears to be an entire underground room, but neither of them can see any details. There are several ledges that could be used to climb down.

Boy, that's an opportunity if I ever saw one!

> Grab emergency lights and go spelunking!

[OOC: This was totally not anticipated when I gave the order. Not at all. :3]

Make sure Amiel takes her gun when they go down there, if not the actual suit.

>Grab emergency lights and go spelunking!
>Make sure Amiel takes her gun when they go down there, if not the actual suit.
Amiel asks Sekani to hold the BIC (which contains the PENCIL LIGHT, should they opt to use it) and she grabs her DEADLY WEAPON, but decides not to put on the CLOAKING SUIT. There's no way anything down here would be alive.

Besides... she kind of wants to wear Sekani's shirt a while longer.

They climb down.


Hastily drawn broken pieces of the BUNK BED are strewn about. The cave appears to be man-made, or perhaps insect-made. The walls are kind of smooth and reflective.

It's a little warmer in the cave than it was in the room above.



It's hard to see very far, but the cave appears to split into three directions, EAST, WEST, and NORTH. Amiel wonders aloud how they kept this place devoid of sand.

"This explains why the MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT never had time to clean under the carpet," Sekani mutters.

>Screw the letter e, we're going North!

>Screw the letter e, we're going North!

Amil chooss to scrw th lttr "E"! It thinks it's all BIG AND BAD. It thinks it's th most important lttr in th alphabt. It thinks it is th shit.

It is WRONG.

In fact, if sh could, sh would totally poison-sting th FUCK out it! Grrr!

...But alas, it's a lot harder to make any sense without it. One day, "E". One day.



They venture north.

On the ground is a STRANGE SYMBOL written in white CHALK. There is also a light source (currently off) attached to what Amiel guesses is a generator. It's probably way too old to actually work, however.

> Take a look at that thar warning label

OOC: A~ just has to try a lot to do good at avoiding that fifth symbol. It's not too hard with lots and lots of thinking and ding, Can look a tad unusual, though. But look, I'm communicating okay and no fifth symbols around to do bad stuff! I'm Amazing.[/ooc]

>Take a look at that thar warning label

It warns of an ELECTRICAL SHOCK in two languages (she thinks). Amiel starts to really enjoy the other language and its lack of certain letters until she catches one near the end.

Damn. So close.

>Take pencil, scratch out the last offending e.

> Wisely opt not to fuck with it.

> Examine floor. Is that a piece of chalk there?

>Wisely opt to fuck with it. Using CHALK.

>Take pencil, scratch out the last offending e.

Score one for the revolution!

>Wisely opt not to fuck with it.

Amiel decides to heed the warning. She has no desire to poke at the thing until it kills her...

>Wisely opt to fuck with it. Using CHALK.
Screw the chalk!

Touch touch touch touch touch touch touch!

...Nothing happens. The POWER GENERATOR lost its charge a long, long time ago.



Sekani looks like he really wants to ask her if she's freaking insane, but says nothing.

They've only been 'going out' a few hours and she's already got him well trained.


>Examine floor. Is that a piece of chalk there?
It definitely is a PIECE OF CHALK. Amiel examines the strange symbol, placing a hand on it in concentration.


A blinding flash fills the room!

>Consider showing them the results of that flash.

A whirring noise is heard as the generator powers up. The light comes on. This is a very convoluted light switch.

>Doodle with CHALK in MARGINS of SWITCH
>Touch SWITCH

> Crack open the generator and try to determine what the fuck

>Doodle with CHALK in MARGINS of SWITCH

Amiel goes nuts doodling a bunch of creatures, her being awesome, and Sekani and her being adorable.

As Amiel doodles, she feels kind of strange, as if something's draining her energy.


>Crack open the generator and try to determine what the fuck

Sekani begs Amiel to stop messing with the POWER GENERATOR. She definitely would most likely probably not survive a shock from that thing.


>Touch SWITCH

Touching the "switch" doesn't seem to cause anything else to happen. Amiel feels momentarily tired as she takes her hand away.

Sekani grabs the CHALK and says he'll draw something really nice for Amiel.



As he touches the CHALK down to the "switch", a flashing light once again appears!

*Pop!*



The lamp has blown. Amiel can't see a thing!

She hears some heavy breathing, and asks Sekani if he's okay. He says he's... fine. She really hopes he didn't pee himself again.

Man. House-training a Tezakian is a lot of work.

Surmise that this is clearly the work of 'Magick'. That kind of reaction from Sekani touching it definitely means something in him - probably that reagant or whatever - is reacting to it. If Amiel felt drained from touching it, though, that probably means stuff's worse for Sekani.

The light sounds like it broked, though. Maybe they should try to backtrack to one of the other rooms in the cave.

> Check the room across the hall.

>Make sure Sekani is fine and not acting macho.

...Not that he has before.

OOC: Tom Icon waves to the Tom Doodle

>Make sure Sekani is fine and not acting macho.

Amiel asks if he's sure he's okay. He says he feels extremely tired. She decides that it would probably be a bad idea to touch the vampire drawing again.


>Surmise that this is clearly the work of 'Magick'.

Sekani brings out the BIC so they can see again. Amiel comes to the conclusion that Majicka must be involved in this strange circle. Sekani asks how that could be if Amiel was able to activate it without being... contaminated. She says she isn't sure. Maybe the circle had a small amount of Majicka in it-- enough to act as a switch. It's possible that drawing on it changed how much power it needed to "activate".

Considering the fire Sekani was shooting out earlier, there's no doubt that he has gained the use of Majicka thanks to whatever was injected into him. Maybe that's why she had a random urge to kiss him earlier...

Yeah. Must be the Majicka's doing.


>Check the room across the hall.
The entrance is across the hall!
Amiel decides to suck it up and head SOUTH and then EAST.


OH GOD.

It's definitely a Majibeast. It's hard to tell in this light, but Amiel is pretty sure it isn't breathing. There is no smell of decay, and the body looks like it hasn't been dead very long.

OOC: With Sekani not feeling well, and with OBVIOUS evidence that this is a majibeast populated area... I suggest we go back to the bunker =| [/ooc]

[...but you'd have to command it for it to happen!]

OOC: it's a recomendation to the other players to discuss if we should do it or not. They may have different thoughts on the matter.

[I KNEW THAT 83]

OOC: Yeah, but while Amiel and Sekani were off playing with that light, any other not-dead Majibeast could've wandered up to the bunker the same way they came down - and there's no way out of the bunker 'cept down here. :\ They're basically between a rock and a hard place, now.

[PLOT IS NOT AT THE BUNKER.

Forward march!]

OOC: but we haven't hit a save point and one of our party members is dying!

At the very least we need a potion >_>[/ooc]

That's not so awesome! Quickly check the body for any signs of breathing or trauma - be useful to know if this thing died at all, first, and if so, if it died fighting something else.

Once the body is checked, extinguish the light. Keep all ears out for the approach of anything else.

OOC: If the encounter with the last one was any indication, it could see and hear Amiel, but not smell her. If there are any more wandering around down here, it's worth a shot to bank on the chance that they can't see in the dark.

Dunno where they want to move to, though. The bunker's a dead end and there's only one corridor back in the central cave that we haven't been in. /OOC

[But-

The Grue!]

[Oh, don't be silly. Everyone knows the grue is a myth.]

> Second checking the body, but also inspect the rest of the room for anything once we determine if thatthing's actually dead or not.

There is a GODDAMNED MAJIBEAST here. We don't even know if they HAVE to breathe.

>Apply DEADLY WEAPON directly to the FOREHEAD
>Check GODDAMNED MAJICORPSE for INCONGRUOUS LOOT

>Quickly check the body for any signs of breathing or trauma.
>Apply DEADLY WEAPON directly to the FOREHEAD

They approach cautiously, Amiel ready to fire the instant it so much as twitches. It remains motionless. Further inspection confirms that it is dead, or at least doing a really good job of faking it. There are several burn wounds in specific spots on its body, as if it was electrocuted. It is very stiff, either from Rigor Mortis or from the apparent shock itself.


>Inspect the rest of the room for anything once we determine if that thing's actually dead or not.

There doesn't seem to be anything else here. Majibeasts may not have a need to eat or drink, as there are no signs of food, water, or even waste.

Just how long has this thing been down here? More importantly, was it alone? Amiel is glad she brought her DEADLY WEAPON with her. There's no telling if her POISON SPINES would have any effect on these creatures.

Okay, so it's not alive. But... how does it TASTE?

>Stand on CORPSE
>e
>y

[OOC: I don't think it's going to grant us intrinsic telepathy or anything.]

Electrocuted, huh? The only electricity we've seen lately was because of the generator, and...

Since there's nothing else in the room, go back to the crossroads, and go into the last room we've yet to see. Ready the weapon and be alert for further beasties.

>Stand on CORPSE
>e
>y

Amiel is not quite barbaric enough to tear the corpse apart with her hands and/or spines.



Besides, she has a strange feeling Sekani wouldn't appreciate her eating it.


>Since there's nothing else in the room, go back to the crossroads, and go into the last room we've yet to see. Ready the weapon and be alert for further beasties.

They cautiously enter the final room. Not much here besides yet another corpse. How many bug people DIED in this place?

MILLIONS.

> Wear hollow exoskeleton as armour

Yeah. No.

psh I meant using its carapace as a breastplate duh!!

OOC: How many bug people were in this place to begin with? /ooc

What's the corpse's lower half look like? Are there any other entrances or exits to anywheres? If not - head back up to the bunker. If anything else is lurking in the caverns, it's probably up there by now, and if there isn't... Well, sleep is nice.

But Sekani, it's only cannibalism if you eat it!

If we decide to head back...
> Use spines to cut MAGIBEAST and
We don't have anything to put blood in, hm.

> Use SPINY TAIL to RIP OUT MAGIBEAST'S EYE to take back to Grasshopper for inspection.

>Test EFFECT OF LOOSE LIQUID on BIC

>Test STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY of CADAVER BITS

>Wear hollow exoskeleton as armour

Amiel isn't sure it'd be very effective. It's practically crumbling as she holds it.

She puts it back exactly as it was.


>What's the corpse's lower half look like? Are there any other entrances or exits to anywheres?

The lower half's missing. As far as they can tell, there are no other exits from this room.


>Test EFFECT OF LOOSE LIQUID on BIC
Amiel asks Sekani to touch the BIC to the blood. She really hopes he finds her recent strange actions and requests cute and not crazy.

There's a bright flash as the BIC touches the DRIED BLOOD.

DRIED BLOOD has been added to the inventory? (9/10 items in BIC)


>Use SPINY TAIL to RIP OUT MAGIBEAST'S EYE to take back to Grasshopper for inspection.

Um... where'd the Majibeast go?

ha ha ha get the hell outta there.

I WARNED YOU ABOUT MAJIBEASTS BRO!!!!!

>Dual-wield EMERGENCY LIGHT and DEADLY WEAPON

I AM SO GLAD WE DIDN'T TEAR OUT HIS EYE. We'd never be able to be friends after that!

> Remove RATIONS from FOOD CONTAINER and toss them over the ground. Away from you. If any Majibeasts emerge from the shadows and take, leave them to their offering and SNEAK/RUN AWAY.

>ha ha ha get the hell outta there.

The Majibeast is still alive, and it's blocking their only exit!


>Remove RATIONS from FOOD CONTAINER and toss them over the ground. Away from you.

Amiel asks Sekani to throw the FOOD RATIONS at it. He does so.

The Majibeast looks at it and pauses for a moment.



"Waaaarrrk!"
It doesn't seem to be hungry!


>Dual-wield EMERGENCY LIGHT and DEADLY WEAPON
Amiel doesn't have the BIC, so she asks Sekani to bring out the EMERGENCY PENCIL LIGHT instead.

Amiel readies her DEADLY WEAPON while Sekani quickly attempts to connect the wiring on the EMERGENCY PENCIL LIGHT.



The Majibeast lunges at them! Amiel shoots at it with the DEADLY WEAPON. Her aim isn't perfect, so it only manages to graze the beast.




The majibeast knocks Amiel to the ground, shoving Sekani aside. Sekani didn't have time to get the EMERGENCY LIGHT working.

Amiel's DEADLY WEAPON has been tossed out of reach.



The BIC deactivates, having nobody keeping its light on.

Amiel's weapon was knocked away, but she is not defenseless. Lians have good tracking abilities, so Amiel has a general idea of where creatures are if they are nearby. If she remains calm, she can still get out of this alive! What should she do?

Should've shot the damn thing previous!

Step 1: Cloak!

...Except we don't have the cloaking suit I KNEW THAT.

Step 1: Aim tail spines at its eyes. Stab repeatedly.

Yes, do this.

OOC: Someone should command getting out from under the thing when it/if it gets somewhat incapacitated! :3

FINE THEN I COMMAND THIS

> If you incapacitate it, roll the hell away!!

YOUTH ROLL!?

>Do a barrel roll.

>Aim tail spines at its eyes. Stab repeatedly.

Amiel stabs the Majibeast, and begins pumping it full of POISON! Even if it doesn't kill it, it should be able to paralyze it and buy her time.

>If you incapacitate it, roll the hell away!!
>Do a tired internet meme.

The Majibeast rears back as the painful POISON makes its way through the monster's system. Amiel seizes this opportunity to get out from under it.

> Call out to Sekani. We need him to grab everything so we can get the hell out of dodge.

If the gun can be found quickly, shoot it ded in the noggin.

>Call out to Sekani. We need him to grab everything so we can get the hell out of dodge.

Amiel calls to Sekani, but there's no response. Guess he was knocked out.


>If the gun can be found quickly, shoot it ded in the noggin.

Amiel desperately searches the ground for her DEADLY WEAPON.



It's coming.

> Run for the exit. Make a lot of noise so it follows you. Lead it into the room across the hall, with the generator and the lightswitch.

>Continue mooning MAJIBEAST
>Utilize SENSES to locate BOYFRIEND; retrieve STUFF

>Run for the exit. Make a lot of noise so it follows you. Lead it into the room across the hall, with the generator and the lightswitch.

Amiel flees, taunting the Majibeast so it will follow her. She briefly thinks back to her training days. Night time hunting was something she was always pretty good at, but even then she still had the stars providing some light. In this pitch black she has nothing but her memory and...


...The mild glow of the STRANGE SYMBOL to guide her. The beast is right behind her. What should she do now?

>Crouch in front of GENERATOR; prepare COMBAT OPERANDI: COOPER EVASION

Lure the beast into the symbol!

Stand in front of the GENERATOR.

Insult its mother.

YOUTH ROLL

>Crouch in front of GENERATOR; prepare COMBAT OPERANDI: COOPER EVASION
>Stand in front of the GENERATOR.
>Insult its mother.

Amiel crouches in front of the generator. As the Majibeast enters the room, she proceeds to insult its mother. Wait, do Majibeasts even have mothers?


>YOUTH ROLL

*Thock!* The Majibeast falls for it, and runs headfirst into the GENERATOR. Looks like it's stunned.


However, nothing else happens. That's right, the generator was deactivated, wasn't it? Amiel can't get it to trigger herself. There has to be some way to...

>Lure the beast into the symbol!

Wait... that's it!


Amiel grabs one of the Majibeast's tentacles...


...And touches it to the LIGHT SWITCH!


Amiel quickly hops away as a blinding flash fills the room!



The monster roars in agony as it fuels the very electricity that courses through its body.


It is reduced to a strange pile of glowing ash. Well, there's no denying the fucker's dead now.

Amiel is victorious.

Now, now, I'm sure Majibeast have mothers and love them, too.

> Collect MAJIBEAST REMAINS for later inspection.

> Get Sekani first, and collect them in the BIC without touching them.

Ding dong, the beast is dead~

Go back to the cave where Sekani is and see if he's mobile yet.

>Go back to the cave where Sekani is and see if he's mobile yet.

That won't be necessary, as Sekani appears soon after.
"L-l-leave Amiel a-alone!"



"Um, where'd the Majibeast go?"

Amiel explains about how she completely and utterly owned the Majibeast. Sekani's totally amazed. There's a look in his eyes that Amiel had not seen before. She of course acts like it's no big deal. Yeah, she killed a huge monster bare handed. No big.

>Collect remains in BIC without touching them.

The BIC now contains the MAJIBEAST REMAINS. 10 of 10 items held.

> Kiss Sekani in a hard-boiled manner.

OOC: Oh knock it off[/ooc]

Oh, Sekani, you can't help it that you're mostly useless.

I think we've seen everything to see down here. Go back up to the bunker - maybe time for some Z's, if nothing else goes wrong.

OOC: hmm, mostly useless.

I think that beats "mostly harmless" in terrible grades =(

Wait, Majibeast blood? I thought we got that from a grasshoppery corpse.

Whoops!

Yeah, it's BUG PERSON BLOOD.

>BACK TO THE BUNKER, SANCHO (she's showing off her "tezakian" language skills.)

>Give MAJIPOWDER to GRASSHOPPER; test for NEAT STUFF

OOC: Bunker door's locked due to power outage, as I recall.[/ooc]

>Use TIME MACHINE to return to SIX UPDATES AGO
>Do THAT

>Search harder; make absolutely sure there isn't any other place for those jerks to come from down here.

>Kiss Sekani in a hard-boiled manner.

*Blip!*


Amiel retrieves the PENCIL.


*Puff?*


*Flick!*


Kissing someone who has a beak is a little awkward, but that doesn't stop somebody as hard-boiled as Amiel.


>BACK TO THE BUNKER, SANCHO (she's showing off her "tezakian" language skills.)
>Search harder; make absolutely sure there isn't any other place for those jerks to come from down here.
>Go back up to the bunker - maybe time for some Z's, if nothing else goes wrong.
They scour the place, but find nothing else. Unless Majibeasts can go through walls (which is too terrifying a thought to even consider), they should be safe.

Sekani giggles as Amiel calls him Sancho. She assumes he found her accent cute.


They head back to the bunker. They're both exhausted from their ordeals, but the remaining adrenaline keeps them from going immediately to bed.


They sit in silence for a moment. Amiel thinks about all that has transpired that day.

Amiel is right. She may never get a chance to tell her mother this, but she is right.

Her mother went insane after her father's death. She blamed the Tezakians for everything, calling them monsters. But her father's company was attacking them. The Tezakians were only defending themselves.
No, it's the war that killed her father. She always hated the war, and when she was drafted she did everything in her power to end up on HOMELAND DEFENSE. Tezakians rarely attacked from the ground, so her squad mostly worked on felling desert beasts. It was the only way to help her country without participating in the mass murder of humanoid life.

Her thoughts are interrupted by Sekani's voice.
"I wish I was strong like you, Amiel."



He is too cute.
She reminds him that he has saved her life twice (if they count stopping her from being electrocuted), and acted really bravely just now. Despite being afraid, he picked up her DEADLY WEAPON and was ready to face the Majibeast for her sake. She never met a Lian with half as much bravery as Sekani showed despite his fear.

Sekani's voice quivers. "I-I've never had a female tell me I'm brave before. Most of them just ignore me and make me feel worthless..."

"They're idiots, and it's their loss."

Amiel strokes Sekani's head feathers for a few moments, and tells him it's getting pretty cold.


They should sleep extra close tonight. For warmth.



"Um, wouldn't your spines hurt me?"

"Only if you want them to."

WhooooooooOOOOooooo.