Super Smash Quest - Story - Chapter 394: Deadly Arguments
Date: March 6th, 2007.
Metal Man (GM): The group is in the Q.S. Seeker. Again it is mission number 4. It appears as if the 4 is being worn off on the voting machine.
Mewtwo: "That is... sort of an issue... I don't think I can read that button anymore." He shrugs. "But what is also an issue is that you've blown off Eggman without any reason as of yet, and he's left holding the bag. You have more than enough parts to contribute to the Master Egg MK3, or you can tell him you're no longer interested. However, you need to make some sort of decision."
Harnit: "Why do we want to help him? From what I've seen he only wants to destroy stuff..."
Mewtwo: "He is technically our ally, and he designed a large portion of this ship."
Dragoshi: "Yep."
Mewtwo: "Also he has been paying rather effectively for whatever we do bring to him."
Glyph quickly stomps down a hallway adjacent to the bridge.
Julian: "I don't really care. What I wanted to do was go whomp Charles' stupid ass, but that ain't happenin'."
Douglas sighs.
Harnit: "Has whoever runs the treasury paid this egg person for his work on this ship?"
Douglas: "What did he do to you now, Julian?"
Traon lets out a light sigh. "I was considering two. But for some reason four slipped out... Next time I'll go with my first instinct."
Julian: "Exist."
Dragoshi: .oO(...Exi-...Damn, I'm good.)
Mewtwo: "He has been paid for the ship, pretty much."
Douglas seems to be playing along to something that he would think isn't known among the other people, even though that is currently wrong nonetheless.
Mewtwo: "And it is likely we may never wind up visiting Charles--but that doesn't matter. What does is that Eggman won't just sit around here, and it's been chosen to... think of something. So... give him the parts? Decline? Find him another part? Any ideas? It was your choice to bring up everything to do with this mission. Including the preconditions."
Julian: "Like I said, I don't really care. YOU people figure somethin' up."
Douglas: "What was mission 4 again anyways?"
Dragoshi: "...I'm just waiting for the others to speak their opinions."
Harnit: "If my opinion matters... I think we shouldn't have anything more to do with him."
Douglas: "Oh. Eggman." *He shrugs, a bit lost.*
Glyph stomps back down the same hallway.
Mewtwo: "...It appears their opinion is to choose a mission involving dealing with him, then become silent." He snickers.
Douglas looks around at everyone... specifically the people who chose the mission. "...Apparently so."
Mewtwo: "You do know it is possible to fail missions... even inane ones."
Dragoshi: "Yep."
Harnit: "Mr. Sawyer and Craft don't seem to care, I've said my opinion, and Mr. Helldusk is waiting to give his... That's most of us."
Dragoshi: "...Okay."
Glyph storms in.
Azure is there mind you.
Douglas pffts. "I wanted to go find some info on that substance that keeps Glyph stable, but whatever..."
Glyph: [Leviathan] "Stop arguing! Shut up! When you argue, they argue!"
Douglas: "See? It's better that way..."
Harnit looks about. "Oh, and Traon and Azure didn't really... Err... 'allo." *Looks to the possessed one.*
Mewtwo: "Don't blame me. Their choice."
Dragoshi: "I bet I'll prolly' be yelled at for this, but I'm contemplating on giving ol' Ivo the cannon info... BUT! Not the other info. 'Cause, I REALLY doubt he'd need THAT much firepower."
Glyph: [Leviathan] "I wouldn't blame you, but 75% of me does and I'm having the damnedest time changing their opinions."
Harnit: "Maybe if we finish this up real quick we can go on another mission... Okay."
Douglas: "Wait, WHAT?"
Robot: "Silly humans. Don't know what they want when they get it."
Douglas: "Don't give him the Dimensional Cannon schematics!"
Mewtwo: "He was referring to the antimatter cannon."
Dragoshi: "...That was NOT what I was referring to, you imbecile."
Douglas: "Oh..."
Dragoshi: "I was referring to the ANTIMATTER cannon."
Mewtwo: "A far less powerful weapon compared to the dimensional cannon, still dangerous."
Dragoshi: "Yep."
Douglas mutters. "That's still not a good idea."
Harnit: "Okay, payment and other issues aside, is there anyone who is opposed to giving Ivo the information? Of just the antimatter cannon, that is."
Harnit waits for a response... And is not hearing any.
Julian: *Twiddles thumbs while others discuss strategy.*
Dragoshi: *Expects about everyone that isn't apathetic to jump the 'aye' bandwagon on that.*
Douglas raises his hand.
Harnit: "Okay, nobod--Er... Okay. One opposed. What's up?"
Douglas: "Ivo's a bad guy. Giving him an Antimatter cannon is a bad thing."
Glyph: [???] "Honesty is the best policy. Perhaps it's time to confront your untrustworthy ally about--"
Traon: "I just want to get this mission over... I voted on this one wrongly and I admit that. In my opinion, we shouldn't give him the cannon and tell him to... Well, I'll leave that up to your imagination."
Dragoshi: "..." .oO(And, apparently, no one friggin' listens.)
Harnit nods... "Okay, giving a bad man weapons is indeed bad."
Mewtwo: "Why would a bad guy give us a ship?"
Dragoshi: *Looks towards Glyph.* "...And, you are...?"
Glyph: [Leviathan] "I don't even know who that was!"
Dragoshi: "Yes? Why?"
Douglas: "I don't know. Maybe he rigged it!"
Harnit: "Earn our trust... Err... Is this Ivo guy honorable? Does he break his trust often?"
Douglas: "YES."
Alexia: "Heck, has he ever NOT?"
Dragoshi: "..."
Glyph heads over to the computer and punches relaying coordinates to nowhere.
Dragoshi: .oO(Damn paranoid...)
Mewtwo: "He used to, but he hasn't in recent history."
Harnit: "I have an idea then..."
Mewtwo: "It wasn't my choice to help him with the MK3 in the first place. If you wish to break it off, you'll have to deal with his disappointment personally."
Glyph: [???] "Master Emerald."
Alexia: "Up to you, guys."
Azure: "Seems our hands forced if we wish for a single choice."
Glyph puts his hands on his head.
Harnit: "I don't like this, but if we decide to give him the data we can ask him to sign a treaty to only use it against targets we grant permission for. That way we would still be the ones in charge. ... That came out confusingly..."
Douglas blinks and turns to Glyph. "Master Emerald..?"
Alexia: "And if he breaks it?"
Dragoshi: "That's actually, a pretty good idea."
Harnit: "We revoke his rights to use the big shiny cannon."
Dragoshi: *Rolls eyes.* .oO(What's there to 'if' about?)
Mewtwo: "I would be careful. If he's truthful he's likely to object, if he's sneaky he's likely to find holes in it. If you actually distrust him then the cannon is a very BAD idea, as he could use it and knowledge of this ship to annihilate us all before we could react. However you originally went to the station at his behest..."
Glyph turns to look at Alexia.
Mewtwo: "Technically you owe him the code."
Dragoshi: "...Originally."
Mewtwo: "The same way you can't consider this mission you picked foolish and quitting it without failing it."
Dragoshi: .oO(I think I was the only one that still wanted to give it to him, but I was outnumbered... Grah ...I think.)
Harnit: "Wait, Sonic did show up on the ship, remember? We could still give it to... Err... Tails, was it?"
Mewtwo: "You could give it to them, but this standard contract of missions is rather thorny."
Metal Man (GM): He takes out a big scroll and reads it.
Dragoshi: "...Uh-huh."
Alexia: "...Where were you holding that?" *He looks around Mewtwo.*
Mewtwo: "...I read here... 'The persuer of the mission must finish the mission and complete its objective, or have it officially marked a failure.' The objective of that mission was to give the Antimatter Code to Robotnik."
Dragoshi: "...Yep."
Mewtwo: "You have the code, but haven't given it to him."
Harnit: "What exactly happens if we fail?"
Mewtwo: "Whatever pay you got for that mission is revoked."
Dragoshi: "...Yep. And, I believe two... Or, maybe three people are opposed."
Douglas was opposed. :o >:\
Dragoshi: "...And, I'm, of course, the ONLY one FOR. Wonderful."
Julian's flipping a coin now. Opposed. >:O
Dragoshi: "Or maybe it was four opposed. Gah."
Harnit: "Wait, I've another idea..."
Dragoshi: "...Yes?"
Harnit: "What if we get someone to look over the code and... Take out the more dangerous parts?"
Mewtwo: "The dangerous part is the part that it is actually complete code."
Dragoshi: "...The problem there i-...Yep."
Mewtwo: "He specifically wanted the code on the station, and I read right here... 100% intact, unmodified, unencrypted version of the Three Powers Antimatter cannon code."
Harnit sighs.
Mewtwo: "Of course, nobody knows if it is functional."
Glyph: [Hop] "Head start."
Dragoshi: "...Hm."
Mewtwo: "It has never been tested."
Dragoshi: "So, it's pretty much got a chance of backfiring, then, huh?"
Mewtwo: "Or not working at all."
Dragoshi: "That too."
Harnit: "How fast do you think it would take for someone to check over the code to see if it works or not?"
Mewtwo: "Ages. It is approximately ten terabytes."
Dragoshi: "Of course."
Harnit sighs...
Dragoshi: "...Soo, any other plans?"
Mewtwo: "Made by humans, it is a mess."
Harnit: "Does that estimate include Ivo?"
Mewtwo: "Ivo can build a cannon to test it."
Harnit: "Oh, right..."
Azure listens to the conversation as usual only gathering bits and portions, though he was currently more into "Goran Folk Tales."
Mewtwo: "We don't have his mechanical powers neither do we want one if it is dangerous."
Dragoshi: *Nods.*
Harnit: "Then I have a new proposition..."
Dragoshi: .oO(How long will it take for THIS one to be shot down?) "...Go on."
Harnit: "We give him the cannon info for a price and the agreement I talked about earlier, no firing on targets we don't okay first. We then work to try and build our own ship so that we are not quite so vulnerable. In any case, two space ships would be nice if we had to divide up into two teams and such."
Dragoshi: "...We prolly' don't have the materials for the latter part of that."
Mewtwo: "But we have no power source for this one, and may never have one. You have ignored missions relating to such a power source for a week or two as it is. If I have you down right, you don't want or care about power sources or ships."
Harnit: "How is this thing working without a power source?"
Dragoshi: .oO(Well, sorry, if I like to tie up loose ends.)
Mewtwo: "It is... working at minimum power. No shields, only lights and life support."
Dragoshi: "...Ah."
Mewtwo: "Occasional AI activity. They don't like to be shut off."
Glyph: [Leviathan] "Why don't you just sic this damn robot on your annoying shifty friend? He's good at dangling items of ultimate power just out of reach."
Dragoshi: "...That's just idiotic in all regards."
Harnit: "Then I add to my proposition that our next mission be the Ruin Miasma one. As for materials... We can gain money from our missions and ask the people of Nintendus for help."
Metal Man (GM): Mewtwo smacks Dragoshi.
Mewtwo: "That is... not a constructive comment."
Dragoshi: "...Thank you. I needed that."
Mewtwo: "...Let me explain. Ivo Robotnik is a robotics specialist."
Dragoshi: .oO(Really losing my calm here.)
Mewtwo: "He has designed robots like... uh... Canti... before. It would be likely he could trick or defuse the robot, although Metal Sonic remains maverick. Metal Sonic DOES still hate Ivo. That may be why he's happy to beat down people. He's declared himself the strongest fighter ever."
Dragoshi: *Nods.*
Mewtwo: "Have yet for anyone to beat him, he waits in the arena for challengers though." *Nods at Julian.*
Azure: "So that's the method to his mind..."
Harnit: "Uh... No offense. Mr. Mewtwo, but... How does that relate to our current situation?"
Glyph: [???] "If odds were stacked enough against, Ivo's strength matters not."
Dragoshi: "..." *Sighs.*
Mewtwo: "Metal Sonic would probably be perfectly happy to aid us in giving Ivo one thing, then preventing him from really using it on the other."
Harnit: "Ah... He could enforce the proposition I suggested then?"
Mewtwo: "...Partially. He'd still get one shot off long before Metal Sonic could interfere."
Douglas just shrugs and lounges near Julian, to show his opinion now.
Glyph: [???] "Timing is key."
Mewtwo: "And, again, we don't even know what he wants to do."
Dragoshi: "...Pretty much, yea."
Mewtwo: "Perhaps we can give it to him and nothing bad will ever come of it."
Harnit sighs...* "We should still have a backup plan... Is it okay if we vote for or against my plan?"
Mewtwo: "You may vote, but I don't think it'll solve anything."
Harnit: "If there is a majority then we can consider this matter over... And then we can do something else. Here's one vote for my plan."
Mewtwo: "I abstain. Not my mission."
Dragoshi: "...Make that two. On the for part."
Julian: *Doesn't care. Charles!.* >:O
Alexia: "Make it three."
Douglas: *Hates Ivo a lot. Miasma!*
Harnit: "Mr Sawyer? Craft? Azure?"
Azure: "Hmm..."
Julian: *Middle finger!*
Azure: "I'll come."
Harnit: "... Meanie."
Mewtwo: "Okay, looks like raw hatred, and then a lot of people who vote for whatever plan it is Harnit made up."
Alexia: "Julian, don't flip off ten year-olds."
Mewtwo: "The plan is passed. I shall set it up so we DON'T have to have some massive argument with Ivo. That would be... retarded. Literally. So slow we'd be here all night."
Dragoshi: "..." *Just shakes his head in annoyance.* .oO(All I wanted to do was to tie up some loose ends, and it degenerates into THIS.)
Harnit: "So, this matter is over!"
Metal Man (GM): Blah blah blah, people moving around, notes sent around, etc. and it's done.
Mewtwo: "Now... if I may speak for myself..."
Dragoshi: "...?"
Metal Man (GM): He rips the '4' button out of the console and hurls it at Dragoshi.
Mewtwo: "Please choose your next mission."
Julian: "Burn."
Dragoshi: *tries to catch it, and gets hit in the face instead.* "..."
Alexia: "Ooo! Can I have it?"
Dragoshi: "No."
Harnit: "I choose the Ruin Miasma mission. Number one."
Douglas: "1!"
Julian: "Charles!"
Dragoshi: *Ow! His face! Eh. Either way, he pockets it.*
Metal Man (GM): Dragoshi gains: 'The Cursed 4 Button.' *Evil Zelda chime*
Glyph: [Leviathan] "Wait, what? You're going after what?"
Alexia: "One."
Mewtwo: "Ruin miasma 2, Charles 2."
Dragoshi: "I would question the necessity of that, but I really don't care now. One."
Alexia: "C'mon, lemme have the button!"
Glyph: [Leviathan] "Why is it that when I wanted you jerks to take that mission, you know, to live, everyone looked elsewhere?"
Dragoshi: "...No."
Douglas: *Alex is just shadowing, for now..*
Alexia: "Why?!"
Mewtwo: "The Questers? Take threats on their lives seriously?"
Douglas: *And he's raising an eyebrow at us all.*
Mewtwo: "That would be new even to E Li Three."
Dragoshi: "...Yeaaa..."
Harnit: "Ah... Sorry for the delay, Mr...?"
Mewtwo: "But you get an A for effort."
Harnit looks to Leviathan...
Glyph: *Leviathan rolls his eyes.*
Mewtwo: *Counts carefully.* "Ruin miasma II it is."
Douglas: "Yeah... it might help to research us better before trying to threaten us..."
Mewtwo: "Now, for this mission, you must decide whether or not Ruin miasma is safe."
Julian: *Dammit.* >:O
Dragoshi: "...Yep."
Mewtwo: "...Just kidding!"
Glyph: [Leviathan] "I look forward to stealing this when I get the chance and using it to kill you all."
Metal Man (GM): Mewtwo opens a warp to... somewhere.
Mewtwo: "Hm... well... that's where we last heard of Ruin Miasma... not the friendliest place though."
Glyph: [Leviathan] "It's safe!"
Douglas: "Uh huh, okay Levi." *He says it like the jeans brand.*
Dragoshi: "...Still though. Did you HAVE to throw the button just 'cause I wanted to ti-Sod it." *Puts on his breathing mask, and heads to wherever the location of the warp leads to.*
Mewtwo: "It's a whole massive kingdom thing. All rotted and filled with monsters. Even the machines won't touch it."
Harnit frowns at Leviathan and puts on his breath mask before entering the warp.
Alexia puts on her mask and enters the warp.
Douglas takes a moment to ponder why we never get to know these things in the mission info.
Glyph: [Leviathan] "Let me open up a dex channel for this. I want to watch them retrieve their own eventual doom."
Mewtwo: "As you wish." *Puts it on the big screen.*
Glyph: [Leviathan] "And taunt. I love to taunt."
Douglas: *Alex will watch with Glyph and Mewtwo, then..*
Julian despondently gets up, grabs his mask, puts it on, and smacks Leviathan upside the head before heading into the warp.
Azure follows.
Glyph: [Leviathan] "Fuck you, too." *Leviathan yells towards the warp.*
Julian: *Middle finger.*
Harnit: "Why don't you people try to get along?"
Mewtwo: "It's more entertaining this way."
Julian: "'Cause he's evil?"
Dragoshi: "...Not to be rude, but you'd be asking for a miracle."
Douglas: "But more stupid." *Goes in.*
Dragoshi: "...That too."
Douglas: *With breathing mask..*
Harnit: "Bleh..."
Metal Man (GM): *Insert the 'arguing' music from Mario Party 2 here.* Anyway... the Questers appear in a vast flat area... obviously cleared. The cracked stone floor tells of some past ancient civilization.
Harnit idly twirls his staff around while looking up at the ruins of past ages..
Metal Man (GM): All sorts of grass grows through it... various lightposts are about, too. Dead ahead is a vaguely Arabic palace of sorts, also cracked... almost as if evil has eaten it from the inside out.
Harnit: "What does this ruin miasma stuff look like?"
Dragoshi: *Looks around.* "...Peculiar."
Julian: "Hell if I know." *Onward!*
Alexia continues forwards.
Metal Man (GM): The Questers go directly towards the ruined palace. They encounter a rather... cheery sight. Two skeletons hang on poles, and a sign is draped between them.
Sign: 'ENTER THE OLDE KINGDOME AND YE WILL PERISH.'
Dragoshi: "...Fun."
Douglas shivers, scanning the sign quickly.
Julian: "Blah blah blah..." *More walkin'.*
Dragoshi: *Yep. Keep on walking.*
Dex: "This sign appears to also announce the border between the untainted land we are walking on and the evil land beyond it."
Alexia follows.
Harnit: "I'm... Not quite so enthusiastic about this mission now..." *He clutches the staff tightly and follows.*
Douglas: "Well that's lovely..."
Metal Man (GM): The Questers walk across the boundary. Evil appears to be everywhere. Voices murmur in the distance; there are images of dead people in the edges of their sight at times.
Douglas sighs. "Can we do a constant scan for the miasma using my item finder, Talon[Dex]?"
Dex: "It has already been set that the dex will inform you when miasma is found."
Douglas: "Thank you."
Metal Man (GM): The Questers finally reach the two massive, 40-foot-tall front doors. They hang on and are chained together. A skeletal hand reaches out of them, as if it was too late to escape.
Douglas: "This place is morbid..."
Dragoshi: "..." .oO(Nope. Nothin' short of normal)
Harnit: "W-what could be in there?"
Alexia: "I doubt we can break THESE down."
Douglas: "I motion that if we run into the Mushroom king or the Business Man, one of us have this place brought back to life."
Alexia taps on the door a few times.
Julian: "Drago, cut the chain."
Alexia: "Sounds pretty solid."
Dragoshi: "Sure thing." *Pulls out his scythe, and attempts to CUT THE CHAIN.*
Metal Man (GM): Dragoshi cuts the chain. It wasn't meant to keep people out... It was meant to keep undead, light-saber wielding skeletons and poisonous gas IN!
Alexia: "Uh-oh..."
Julian: *How the fuck.*
Dragoshi: "...Yep. Nothing too strange."
Metal Man (GM): Purple clouds disperse from the door as four skeletons animate, wielding lightsabers of an unknown design.
Julian: "...See, we coulda been takin' turns kickin' Charles into a wall 'bout now."
Harnit: "Gah! I h-hate the undead!"
Dragoshi: *Switches out for his machinegun.*
Metal Man (GM): They wear strange armor and do not talk. Rather they make angry gestures and go to attack.
Alexia: "Stay focused, Harnit!" *She takes out her gun.*
Julian fits on his Brass Knux. "But noooooo, we jus' gotta go after this Ruined Fog or whatever."
Harnit: "P-please stand down... Go back and rest..."
Dragoshi: "...I'm not even going to bother correcting that." .oO(Ruin Miasma, but whatever.)
Julian DOES NOT CARE.
Douglas twirls his right hand and OWA shimmers into it while spinning. He stops twirling the keyblade and gets in a battle pose.
Metal Man (GM): They appear to wish to kill people... very much. They run directly at the Questers!
Dragoshi: *...Good thing that was a thought.* :p *But, srsly. Machinegun ready, gets in battle pose... Yep.*
Alexia: "...Harnit! Do you have a cure spell?"
Harnit: "Ahh... I can call upon our surroundings to heal our wounds... I don't know how well that'd work!"
Julian: "Don't you fuckin' dare."
Dragoshi: .oO(Maybe it's time to throw the last egg at them.) *Okay, lessee here, Drag starts off by Tidal Blasting... Skeleton A! He sees how close they are to him, as well.*
Metal Man (GM): They're in yo face! (TM) All hit.
Dragoshi: *And, then, flip kicking!*
Julian goes to Grapple one Skeleton!
Metal Man (GM): Hit.
Julian grabs Skeleton 1! And Throws him at Skeleton 2! He then proceeds to work over Skeleton 3 with a series of Haymakers!
Metal Man (GM): All hit. Julian's punches cause bones to fly off of it. It reforms... Skeleton A spins around its fancy light saber and spins it at Dragoshi.
Dragoshi: *Will it hit?* *Miss, hit!*
Metal Man (GM): Skeleton D does the same... at Julian.
Azure collects energy for now.
Douglas slams his keyblade into Skeleton A, his arm being sped up by a windish boost. Twice.
Metal Man (GM): Hit, hit. Skeleton A explodes. Skeleton C leaps at Douglas and tries to hit him with a charged slash in retaliation.
Douglas is brutally cut.
Alexia flings el Mindblast at Skeleton C.
Metal Man (GM): Hit.
Alexia then Mends the others for some health.
Harnit has surveyed the course of the battle and now decides to act. He casts the trusty Shadow Shield enchantment on Julian and Dragoshi. (For two rounds any melee attackers who strike them are dealt damage.)
Metal Man (GM): Skeleton B decides to attack the weakened Douglas with two slashes.
Dragoshi: *First he attempts to score one of those fancy sabers from Skeleton D, and then proceed to throw said possible attempted theft victim into Skeleton C.*
Metal Man (GM): Hit. Dragoshi grabs the saber... an evil curse befalls him and it teleports back into Skeleton D's hands.
Dragoshi: *Okay, this time, Drag attempts to claw at Skeleton D, strangle him, then throw him into C... again.*
Metal Man (GM): Hit, hit, hit.
Dragoshi: *Now, for some blue thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frighteningly! Galileo! Galileo! ...Errr... Indignation. Yea. And, now... Albatross! Get your albatross! In the fayce!*
Metal Man (GM): Hit.
Julian goes for the weapons! *SLEEEEEEEDGEHAMMER!* He's got a sledgehammer. Said sledgehammer suddenly winds up in the ribcage of Skeleton D! How'd that happen?*
Metal Man (GM): Hit. It drops 5 bent coins before being smashed into a cracked pile of bones.
Julian: *BAM!*
Azure: "Anyone need a quick refresher?" *He's looking around.*
Harnit: "I'm fine!"
Douglas: "I could use some help..."
Julian: *A bit dented.*
Azure heals Douglas twice and Julian once. He holds some more energy for now.
Douglas summons a glowing breeze to heal him even more, then "Thanks Azure."
Metal Man (GM): Skeleton C leaps over and goes to stab Azure twice.
Alexia: *Psy Shot at Skeleton C.*
Metal Man (GM): Hit. Skeleton C dies. Skeleton B remains.
Alexia spins on her heel to face Skeleton B and fires a Gatling at him! Okaaaay... then Psy Needle!
Metal Man (GM): Miss miss miss, followed by hit.
Harnit decides to summon up the curative magic that he talked about before; he draws what little good energy must be around the area to cast Nature's Regeneration on Azure and Julian. (Dragoshi and Julian have some time of Shadow Shield left. Azure and Julian have plenty of time of Nature's Regeneration left. It heals a small amount of health each turn.)
Metal Man (GM): Skeleton B spins around and swings a charged stab at Julian.
Dragoshi rears up and fires out a blast of his FIAR BREATH at the skeleton, following up with an AYCE TORNADO, and finishing off with... BEES! ...Actually, no. Not bees. But, a flip kick.
Metal Man (GM): Hit. Hit. Hit. That skeleton also dies. BATTLE COMPLETE.
Julian wins!
Douglas: "Alright now!"
Dragoshi: "Magnifico."
Azure takes this time to heal himself and the bit of hp left between those around him.
Dragoshi: *Drag's still goin' strong!* >_>
Julian: *Needs healing.*
Metal Man (GM): The way inside is open... but toxic gas is inside.
Aziel: *Then Julian is healed.*
Harnit starts inside... "It looks a bit odd inside... Is this that miasma?"
Douglas counts how many people are here.
Dragoshi: "...Nope."
Dex: "No."
Julian: *Onwards.*
Dragoshi: *Forward.*
Douglas follows in... he was going to use his breathing ability thing, but whatever.
Metal Man (GM): The royal entryway seethes with evil, as glowing purple cracks radiate in the floor. Raising from it, a spirit with a scythe appears.
Harnit: "This place... Feels wrong... It emanates it... And apparently manifests it!"
???: "You are... the Questers..." He takes out a very long roll of paper and begins reading through it... "Hm..." He stares at Harnit.
Julian: "..."
Dragoshi: "...Yep."
???: "That's odd. I thought I already killed you."
Dragoshi: *Looks at the scythe, curious.*
Metal Man (GM): It's razor-sharp, and stereotypical of a certain character.
???: *He looks to... Douglas.*
Dragoshi: "...Hmm..."
Harnit blinks. "Wh-what?"
Douglas blinks, then blushes. "Yeah yeah, like 3 times now."
Dragoshi: *Who would that certain character be...?*
???: "...Your name is written on here three times."
Dragoshi: .oO(No, no... For the love of the exploding bees, NO.)
Harnit widens his eyes, and then narrows them as he realizes this is Death... And apparently he's been on the list multiple times. "That's... Uhh... Errr..."
Dragoshi: *Tries again...?*
???: "I would collect your soul, but it doesn't seem to want to come to me. ...You're only on the list once, strange child." *Meaning Harnit.*
Dragoshi: "...How many times am I on that list?" >_>
???: "None. You are fresh blood."
Dragoshi: .oO(...Even more no. Yet, that sounds amusing.)
Douglas coughs.
???: "...Now... why are you in my domain?"
Douglas: "So you aren't after me, then?" *He nods.* "We're just looking for some info on this 'miasma' substance..."
???: "I am after you, Aetos. You owe me not one but three souls. Your soul, Douglas' soul, and Charles' soul. All of them belong to me."
Julian: "We're lookin' for this thing called 'Ruin Miasma.' You know 'bout it?"
Dragoshi: "...That's gonna be a doozy." *Continues thinking...*
???: "Ruin miasma?" His skeletal hand clutches his chin. "Of course. It is my most reliable... collector."
Harnit shudders...
Julian: "...Go on."
Douglas coughs..
???: "Anyone who has it... goes mad and kills all around them... It is the raw magical energy of dead people! ...I would gladly give it to you... but the evil here is not my own."
Dragoshi: .oO(AHHHHHHH!! ...Wait, wait. When did IT of all things wield a SCYTHE? ...Fine. One more time... Then I'll just make an assumption that has nothing to do with the other guesses.)
Azure: "Necromancy as a force?"
Harnit: "Th-that's... Err... Not your own?"
Julian: "...Fan-fuckin'-tastic. No wonder that asshole wants it."
Dragoshi: "...Yep."
Metal Man (GM): The Questers' dexes beep.
???: "This evil... belongs to an ancient king."
Dragoshi: .oO(...That'd be a damn paradox. 'Sides, that's single-bladed, not dual-bladed)
Harnit opens his up...
???: "...One who once ruled this place... and collected Ruin Miasma."
Dragoshi: "...Ancient king?" *Pulls out his Dex.*
Julian: "Don't open it!"
???: "...He became so evil... even I paled to him..."
Dragoshi: "Did he ever try and crystallize it?"
Glyph: [Leviathan] *Dex* "Tell big spooky here that I'm mad for completely different reasons!"
???: "He went mad... and drove all his servants to turn against one another... and his entire kingdom KILLED ITSELF in one whole day..."
Harnit hesitates... "Why, Mr. Sawyer? ... Ah..."
Dragoshi: "...Good god."
???: "A glorious day, but alas! He had them all sign a contract, in blood, that their souls belonged to HIM, not ME."
Julian: "'Cause I know who it is, an' I don't want to hear 'bout what his stupid-ass has to say."
???: "Those skeletons you killed... will come back... And I am powerless to keep them dead."
Harnit shudders once more and close his dex...
Dragoshi: "...Soo... Do we have to destroy their source?"
???: "I have been looking for ways... to destroy the contract. But... there is a problem."
Harnit: "You are not... Strong... Enough to reap the soul of the king?"
Azure: "The contract binds them here?"
Dragoshi: "A problem?"
???: "Oh, no. The King's soul is of no matter to me. Dead or alive, the King's men are tied here. His contract, not him, stops me."
Dragoshi: "Mhm..."
???: "This evil contract... is by far the darkest object on this planet. Made entirely out of Ruin miasma, it is... sentient... And it can consume the souls of those who fight it, adding to its own power!"
Dragoshi: "...Woah. Woah. Woah. ENTIRELY out of the miasma?"
???: "Because it is made of bound souls, my scythe cannot hit it."
Julian: "...Don' TELL me we gotta hug somethin' to death again."
Dragoshi: "...If we do..."
???: "...Hug? Hug? Huuuuug?" He begins laughing maniacally. "HUG?!?!?!?!"
Dragoshi: "I'm not even going to bother. ...It killed Zylcon."
???: "If you touch it... it will devour your SOUL!"
Harnit cringes at the unholy laughing...
Julian: "Great. So how we 'sposed to get rid of it?"
???: "It is... not entirely made of miasma... the core is... and assuming you exposed the core, I could slice it in two."
Dragoshi: "..." .oO(Ruin whiteout?)
???: "But it is somewhere in this corrupted castle. Deep within... Another defense. The hallways only yield to living beings, and even then they are never the same twice."
Dragoshi: "...And, we are to open the part that ISN'T exposed to the core, how?"
???: "You possess... certain weapons... do you not?"
Douglas: "Lighttech?.. Neutral energy?"
???: "The Lighttech..."
Dragoshi: *Pulls out his scythe.* "...This?"
Julian: "Lighttech, I'm guessin'."
???: "My enemy, but also my friend."
Dragoshi: "Uh... huh."
???: "Slice a big enough hole without it devouring your soul and I can do the rest... that is... if you fix one clerical error..."
Azure: "Hmm..."
Dragoshi: "And, that is?"
Metal Man (GM): He glares at Aetos, flames arising in his eyes and dripping from his sleeves.
???: "BRING ME... CHARLES MAGELLEAN..."
Dragoshi: "...Oh. That."
Harnit steps away from Aetos...
Julian: "You fuckin' got it."
Douglas sighs.
Dragoshi: "...Sure."
???: "Of course... there is another problem... even for me, there are macro-problems, you see... There are two of them... one is real, one is not."
Dragoshi: .oO(I will not say 'want extra souls with that', I will not say 'Want extra souls with that', I will-...TWO?)
???: "I cannot see which is which, for my eyes are hollow and soulless like the fake's."
Douglas: "...And this one that in on Genetia isn't real, right?"
???: "...I do not know."
Dragoshi: "...Two. What the hell."
Douglas: "It only makes sense... The real Charles is named Golbez now."
Dragoshi: "...Yep."
???: "That is your decision to make..." He creates a contract. "I have seen how you treated... my friend the man who likes to create instruments for me... So you must sign THIS if you wish to have the miasma..."
Dragoshi: "...Your friend?"
Metal Man (GM): He thrusts wrinkled parchment to Aetos.
???: "Sign... with this." He takes out a strange orange pen.
Metal Man (GM): He drops it on the parchment.
???: "Aetos... only... of course. I wouldn't want... anyone else to pledge their soul as a replacement... should they fail. Aetos... he has two!... should he fail... he actually fixes one of his own problems."
Julian: "This' the best day I've had in a long while."
Douglas doesn't understand what Death is referring to, but he wouldn't want to displease the force of death. *sign.* "...Two?"
???: "Now... you do not wish to move to Charles just yet... so explore the depths of this evil place... and find the monster. Then you shall be completed... and ready to find the soul I demand. If you serve me well... I may just give you more than ruin miasma..."
Dragoshi: "Before we head out to do so... If I may ask... What happens if one attempts to steal one of those skeleton's weapons? ...Aside from said skeleton just getting said weapon back."
???: "...The bind is placed on your soul. Should you lose your lives three, your soul a prisoner of the King it be."
Dragoshi: "...Does it leave some sort of skeleton tra-...Oh. ...wonderful."
Harnit shudders..
Dragoshi: "..." .oO(I won't take a headache med, I won't take a headache med, I won't take a headache med.)
???: "Until the dark contract is destroyed, nothing cannot break the bond."
Dragoshi: "Ah. 'K."
???: "I tried, remember." He swings the scythe round twice. "The contract... can stop death itself."
Douglas: "Er, wait. Golbez is on Nintendus, yeah?..."
Dragoshi: "...That's pretty damn disconcerting." *Switches out his lighttech scythe for... His lighttech machinegun!* >:D
Douglas: "So how am I supposed to 'collect his soul' if he's over there?"
Julian: "Sounds like a person problem to me. So we gonna go get this thing or not?"
???: "Your leader uses my waygates for fun and profit. Perhaps you should ask him?"
Dragoshi: "...Metal? How does he... Ugh."
Douglas nods. "Fine, then."
???: "Now... if you have no more to address to me..." He waves a hand, opening the door to a... twisted hallway. "Remember... I have never left you... only disguised myself. It was my decision to spare you from Kuja... twice."
Dragoshi: "...Well, I got nothin'." *Heads on to the twisted hallway... Of oblivion... Ohhh, ohhh... Yeaaahhh...*
???: "For... Kuja wished to control me as that infidel King tried with his contract... and no one controls me... except me."
Dragoshi: "Of course."
Douglas shrugs.
Julian: *Onwards.*
???: .oO(There is one exception, of cooourse... but they will never know... kyeheheheheh...)
Dragoshi: .oO(I mean, why help someone who would wish to control you?) *Anyways, onwards.*
???: *Sinks beneath the ground, to the sound of a distant bell tolling.*
Harnit shuffles after the others.
Douglas follows, anxiety-stricken.
Metal Man (GM): Entering the hallway, the group... gasps in terror as spikes shoot out of the floor and try to stab them. Skeletal hands grasp the spikes.
Azure moves on ...with a strange feeling about things. But he gets those anything he really thinks.
Dragoshi: *Dance away, dance awaaayyy.*
Harnit steps directly on one of the spikes and cries out in pain.
Metal Man (GM): Hm... that definitely rules out the floor... Even if one broke some spikes, there's an overabundance of hands with spikes in the area. The hallway is 10 feet tall and 5 feet wide. And 15 feet long!
Azure azure casts up his spirit charms around himself and erects a barrier. He then begins to move forward through the hallway, walking slowly...
Harnit: "That hurt... Okay, one bridge, coming up..." *He casts Cleansing Water and uses his Water Energy Control to freeze it over the section of spikes...*
Douglas debates trying to help, or being a jackass like Julian.
Metal Man (GM): Harnit succeeds.
Harnit steps onto his small bridge and repeats the process!
Metal Man (GM): Doesn't work this time. Gotta try again.
Harnit: "Bleh... Okay, can someone add a bit more water so we can get through this faster?"
Julian waits as Harnit does what he was planning on doing... or not. "Drago, think that's your cue."
Dragoshi: "Thank you..." *Readies his machinegun, then fires a... TIDAL BLAST BARRAGE! which splits into more and more blasts of water.* o_o
Metal Man (GM): The entire range of spikes is now wet.
Harnit now tries to use his Water Energy Control!
Dragoshi: "And, there ya go."
Metal Man (GM): It works... good enough. The Questers can now cross the spikes...
Julian: "An' we're movin' on." *PROGRESS!*
Dragoshi: "Yep."
Metal Man (GM): Aaaand pause.