《First Spark》 Act One - Prologue: Legend of the Cave
"I gotta admit, it *is* compelling," George, the handsome quarterback, said as he got his character sheet out, fishing in his bag for his dice as he continued, "but how do we know it''s not just some bull that hobos came up with to entertain themselves?" "Well, first of all ghosts aren''t real," Marie, the ginger chemist, replied as she turned on the overhead light before the sun dipped too much below the horizon, "and secondly there''s no real location specified. Just a weird bunker in the woods out east." "Even if ghosts aren''t real, it''d still be a cool thing to check out. Might even give us some more ideas for adventures," Abraham, the slightly pudgy geek, said as he pulled out his binder and books. As Abe was setting up his GM screen, the rugged hunter in the camo windbreaker, Jason, decided to speak up after taking it all in. "The legend says it''s east of town, right? Down by where the old Lakely place was, there''s a bunker that was built about what? 7 years ago? The door was improperly sealed and it rusted off ages back." "So you know where it is?" the jock prodded cautiously. "It''s the only place I can think of nearby. The forest by it felt off since the thing was built. That stretch has some of the biggest deer I''ve seen in the area. Some truly evil coyotes too." This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "So..." Abe started as all eyes turned to him, "wanna head there next week instead of playing?" After almost a minute of thinking it was decided, they''d be visiting the "Haunted Cave" next week.
The pale young man changed the song, thinking that the previous song clashed with the conversation. He glanced over at his friend who just told the group about a legend he just heard, "And you''re sure you heard this, Ross? Your beanie wasn''t just too tight?" Ross gave him the side-eye and pulled out a little cigarette box, tapping it a few times before flicking it open and pulling a rolled smoke out. As he lit it another of the group reached out, "Ey, you mind?" He took a deep drag and gave his friend one, chuckling to himself as the other started coughing. The coughing friend looked over at Ross and back to the smoke in his fingers, "What did you use this time?" A grin spread across the young stoner''s face, "Good stuff. And to answer your dumb ass question, Jesse, I overheard Jackson and Jamie talking about it. One in gym and the other in between classes. I''m not the only one who knows about it." Jesse goes to respond only to be interrupted by a loud coughing fit, "Dammit Devon, you knew it was gonna be strong so take smaller hits. Anyways, it really sounds fishy. I mean seriously, a haunted cave? Around here? Come on." "I didn''t even know there were caves around here. Forgotten rooms off the drain line? Sure, but not caves" Devon interjected, managing to stave of his coughing fit for the time being. "Didn''t the legend say it wasn''t actually a cave?" the brunette in black piped up. "It was built by some dude to hold his daughter. It was probably a bunker or some kinda storm shelter." "Yeah, that makes more sense," Devon responded with a finger gun towards the young woman, "a bunker around here would be pretty safe. Especially if it was dug into a hillside." "And since he kept his daughter there, it''s likely she would have pined for her freedom right? That sounds like ghost material to me, right Morgan?" pointed out Ross before taking another drag as the brunette nodded thoughtfully. Jesse thought about it for a second and also had to agree. He was about to say so when the door opened and the last member of the group walked in. "Hey Randy, I was wondering when you''d get here." "Hey man, yeah there was an accident. Someone hit a deer and they closed off the road," Randy responded and took the smoke Ross offered him, smelling it first and reacting instantly "Gods man, where do you get this stuff?" Ross only winked and tossed him a lighter. He took a slow hit. "So," he exhaled, "whatcha talkin'' about?" "Haunted bunker" replied Morgan. "Oh yeah, heard about that. Wasn''t it supposed to be near the property that old rich dude owned?" "Wait," Jesse stopped him, "there''s a property owned by a rich guy out here?" "Yeah apparently some rich guy called Millicent owned some forest land outside of town," he took another drag, " Apparently he built something out there half a decade ago and kept coming back until he died." "Hold up, his name was ''Million Cent''?" Ross asked with a lazy smile. "It was something like that. Anyways, if that''s where it is then I have a good idea of where it''d be. You wanna check it out?" Everyone looked between each other and shrugged, agreeing to head out next week. A1C1 - Unprepared The bell sounded and woke George from his thoughts, the scant notes he was taking nowhere near his usual volume. He gathered his things with his teacher, Mrs. Humphrey, watching him like she was concerned but unable to ask him about it before he slid out the door. If he was going to be honest with himself he hated this part of the day. His next class was on the other side of the school and, while it wasn''t that large of a campus, due to how packed the halls were he''d be lucky if he got there more than 5 seconds before the bell rang. Thankfully it was just gym or he''d probably have been tardy often enough to get detention. Plus Coach Morris liked him and that very much swung things in his favor. He rounded the corner before the longest stretch to see a circle forming in the hall, as though a bubble was expanding outwards, and practically forcing his path directly against the wall like a cheese grater unless he wanted to push people out of the way. It didn''t take him long to realize what happened when the phones started popping out and the jostling started rocking the line. Two idiots were fighting in the hallway. Wonderful. Just what he needed. He hoped Coach would understand. ------------ "Aww what''s wrong pussy?" Randy tossed out, his opponent swaying on his feet with blood beginning to leak down his chin, "I thought you said you could take me? You were definitely talking big earlier." The lanky boy spat on the floor and snarled, "Shut your trap. One lucky blow won''t do me in." The two boys circled each other, each looking for an opening as the circle undulated around them. A sea of faces, bodies, and phones all crammed against each other just waiting for more blood. Truly, nature''s worst animal. Randy dodged a hook and returned with a jab, the knife in his pocket bouncing against his thigh as he did so. He had to push aside the thought to just cut his opponent. If they found out he had a weapon, they''d do worse than just suspend him if they caught him fighting again. As the two bobbed and weaved, getting in the odd shot here and there, someone yelled "Admin!" and the crowd began to move, attempting to not be caught. The two boys, realizing their odds of getting out were slim, agreed to pick it up later and slid back into the crowd. They''d meet up after school to settle this once and for all. It was about a minute later that Randy remembered he was supposed to do something after school, picked his former opponent out of the crowd, made his way over to him, elbowed him in the face, whacked his head against a locker, and let him be trampled by the tide of students as he went to his next class, arriving just after the bell rang with few obvious signs that he was just in a fight. ------------ Abe absolutely despised round robin reading time. They are seniors and not too far off from graduating, so why did Ms. Bercowitz insist on doing it? It felt like half of these people could barely read at a 5th grade level, let alone any of the required reading she''d assigned them. He''d been doodling in his notebook this whole time with a bookmark on the section he''d be reading once it got to him, if it got to him before the bell rang that is. He''d be better off sleeping than listening to this. "It. Was. Then. That. He." The voice of one of the slowest readers in the class broke through his thoughts and a soft groan of frustration escaped his mouth before he could stop it, causing a few kids to glance at him then go back to whatever it was they were doing. This was excruciating. He was so unbelievably bored and listening to this was slowly driving him mad. His only saving grace was that if it happened today then it wasn''t happening tomorrow. The doodles in his notebook were almost filling the whole page at this point. After what felt like an eternity, it finally reached him. Just as the bell rang. With a groan of pure, undignified relief at no longer needing to sit here listening to 16 barely literates sound out multi-syllable words for 30 minutes he stood up, gathered his things, and left for his next class. His hopes rose as he neared his trigonometry class and saw Marie round the corner. The two waved to each other and filed into the classroom with the other kids. ------------ Jesse didn''t know why he even bothered to show up for this class. The teacher was taking attendance and, as usual, no one seemed to even notice except the few overachievers in the classroom. "Morrison." "Here!" "Olivine." "Here." "Pierce." "Present." "Quincy." "Here." "Ramone." "Yep." Jesse instantly realized his mistake as the beady eyes of his teacher zeroed in on him. "Young man," Mr. Henle started, "the only correct ways to respond to your name being called are ''here'' and ''present''. If you respond to my role call again as flippantly as you did just now, I will mark you as absent. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes, sir." "Good. Steele." "Here." Jesse hated Mr. Henle. He was a hard ass for no reason. Calling out the wrong word in role call was treated the same as eating in class or letting off a fire cracker or getting into a fight with another student. The pure white walls, exposed ventilation, gray tile, and caged windows made the teacher feel more like a warden than anything else. This tired and well-run thought once again paced through Jesse''s mind purely to keep him from zoning out and attaining a oneness only known to the masters in their monasteries which would serve to make him not notice when he was called on by Jailer Henle. Once was enough, he did not need to be reprimanded again in this classroom today. All that would happen was a one way trip straight to ISS and he had things to do today. ------------ "And so now we take the square root of the..." Morgan tuned out her teacher, more focused on the geometric shapes she''s doodling in the margins of her paper. Why did math class have to be so boring? When she was doing rituals and divination she found it so interesting to do the measuring, calculations, and weighing, but sitting here and listening to her teacher drone on in a monotone voice for what felt like eternity was literally the opposite. She felt like she would fall asleep if she stopped focusing on the lines she was drawing. Suddenly she became aware her name was being called and saw other students looking at her from the corner of her vision. "Yes?!" she jolted up straight in her chair. "I said..." her teacher drawled as he rolled his eyes, "what is the answer to this problem? Solve for X." She scanned the problem on the board and, unable to quickly parse it, replied "...5?" Her teacher frowned, "the answer is 9, Morgan. Please pay attention." She sunk back into her chair, trying to hide from her classmates. Thankfully she was at the back of the class so attention quickly slipped off of her and back to the whiteboard until, finally, the bell rang. Morgan gathered her books and moved swiftly through the halls to her next class, seeing that one nerdy girl that hangs out with the quarterback slipping in before her. ------------ "Ross Nelson!" Ms. Gurman yelled, and not for the first time, "Take that beanie off of your head while you''re in my classroom! This may be your last class of the day but you are still in school, mister!" Ross rolled his eyes and slipped his beanie off, stuffing it into his bag as she continued squawking. It took her a few minutes before she finally started class but it didn''t really matter since half of the class had tuned her out just like usual. He didn''t even know why she tried to teach this class. No one took her seriously, not even the other teachers. He''d lost count of the number of times she''d been corrected on basic facts. Honestly, he''d started wondering if she was from another world entirely. He felt a tap on his shoulder and a second later a note popped over his head to land in his lap. Unfolding it, he smiled and nodded. A repeat customer of his needed some more of his herbal essence, and he was happy to oblige. He jotted down the amount he''d need, the time, and the place before refolding it and tossing it back once Ms. Gurman had turned away. A chorus of laughter sounded out from the back row, causing Ms. Gurman to suddenly spin around and start yelling at the class again. Ross rolled his eyes. She might be a crappy teacher, but that wasn''t called for. He couldn''t help but feel bad for her. It wasn''t her fault she was where she was. ------------ "Miss Strong, what was the name of the organization that arose from the ashes of the Third Industrial War?" Mr. Likan asked. "Um, was..." Morgan trailed off, "was it the NFPK?" "That is correct, Miss Strong. Now the NFPK was formed as a result of..." Marie didn''t need to know this. Her love was chemistry, not social studies. The soft sciences weren''t deserving of the term in her opinion. Who cares about some crappy organization that hasn''t done anything for 50 years? Who cares about some kingdom that hasn''t existed for 3 centuries? Who cares about- "Miss Walker, I care." Mr. Likan glanced at her Oops, looks like those thoughts weren''t so much thoughts after all. "Miss Walker, just because you don''t enjoy a subject doesn''t mean others won''t. Unless you wish to stay after school, I hope you have learned to keep your thoughts to yourself. Now class, as many of you already know, Caratan was a short but skilled..." Marie nodded absently and felt the blood rush to her face. Mr. Likan continued his speech but she was far too focused on her own racing thoughts to pay attention. She was a model student. She got straight A''s and never got in trouble. She could feel herself spiraling. This almost never happened. She could think of maybe twice when it happened outside of her room. She was starting to hyperventilate right when the bell rang and broke her out of her trance. Taking a shaky breath she gathered her notebooks and textbooks into her backpack then left the classroom to find her friends. ------------ Devon walked out of the side entrance of the school, earbuds blaring the newest single from Corpse Crusade. He''d been waiting for them to drop a new track for almost a year now and this one came out during the last period. He was starting to really feel the music as he felt a pebble ping off his arm. Wheeling around he saw a group of familiar faces approaching him and took out an ear bud. "There you are!" Randy said, annoyance clear in his voice, "we''ve been waiting forever. Where the hell were you?" "Ah yeah, sorry about that. I forgot we were gonna do something tonight." He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Anyways, who''s riding with who?" "I''m riding with Randy," said Jesse, "Ross has to ride with you due to the whole pipe water incident-" "I said I was sorry!" Ross cut in. "And I said I didn''t care," Randy replied. "-So that just leaves Morgan as the odd one out," finished Jesse, miffed at getting cut off. "Eh, I''ll take her," Devon said nonchalantly then grinned, "besides someone''s gotta be around to translate what beanie-head is talkin'' about." "Very funny" said the stoner as they all moved towards their vehicles. ------------ Jason tapped his fingers rhythmically to the beat of a song on the radio as George walked over. "Oh yeah," the quarterback said as he reached the open window, "I''ll have to get gas." Jason just nodded and Abe clicked his seat belt in. Half a minute later, the two trucks were leaving the school parking lot with Jason following George to the gas station. Jason whistled as he parked his car. "Man, these gas prices suck," he said as Abe looked up from his phone. "Seriously, why are they so high recently?" Abe asked, his parents were complaining about it too. "Many factors," Jason started, "supply and demand mostly, though. We get most of our supply from overseas -Kinyu and Delai- so when they raise their prices it affects us. Thankfully our deals with the UMTO get us oil from them too, keeping prices somewhat stable." "I heard something about a pipe here, what''s that got to do with it?" Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "Hm? Oh that would be the Hulun-Napir pipeline. It was supposed to be a major cross-continent pipe that would supply fuel but it was recently shut down by the Greens who lobbied over environmental concerns." Abe rolled his eyes, "the usual?" "Nah, there were some actual concerns other than just the normal ones. The pipe goes through the Sarna Swamp and could endanger the kulikil living there along with the normal pollution concerns." "Oh no, the man-eating skitter-slugs will be in danger," the geek said in mock alarm, "and they do realize that they can just plant tanafir trees and completely negate the second argument, right?" "That assumes the councilors are smart. Besides, would you want to care for one of those things?" The geek''s recoil and his screwed up face told the hunter everything he needed to know. He laughed as he glanced in his rear-view. "Exactly. Ope, looks like George is ready. Let''s go." Jason took point this time and the two trucks pulled out of the gas station and merged into slow moving traffic. ------------ Jesse checked his phone. They''d been stuck in this traffic for what felt like ages. The radio was no help, playing what felt like the same 3 songs on repeat. Searching the web, he finally found what he was looking for. "That''s why it''s taking forever," he said, getting Randy''s attention. "Hm?" "Car wreck, looks like a t-bone into a head-on." Randy whistled in response, "that''s not something you hear about everyday." Jesse nodded and the traffic started moving again. Slowly they made their way towards the highway out of town, the traffic sluggishly shedding as they grew nearer. Finally the jam seemed to break and they moved swiftly towards their destination. As they got on the highway and headed to the outskirts, Jesse noticed two trucks following them. At first it didn''t seem like anything, trucks on a highway were as common as fish in the ocean, but when they went to get off the highway and into the back roads, the trucks turned off too. "Are you kidding me..." Randy muttered under his breath as he glanced in his rear-view. "Okay so I''m not going crazy then" Jesse said with a sigh. "Are we actually being tailed right now or is it a coincidence? "I don''t know man, they could be hunters or something." "You have a point there, we''re hitting a couple turns so we should find out soon." ------------ "Are... we getting tailed?" asked Ross, watching the side-view anxiously. "Nah, probably just some chickens out for game" Devon replied, glancing nonchalantly at the rear-view "They''ve been following us since we hit Holbrook though." "Wait, seriously?" Morgan asked from the backseat "There''s no way it''s the same guys, there''s gotta be more people with those trucks in this town," Devon said, now with an anxious tone in his voice. The cars took a side road and the trucks took the same corner. "Oh shit oh shit oh shit!" Ross says, getting louder with each repetition. "Fuck! Do you think they know?" Devon asks, gripping the steering wheel. "Know what?" "About the..." Devon started, glancing at Ross'' jacket, "cave!" he finished, voice louder than he meant. A light bulb seemed to appear over Morgan''s head, "I think that''s why they''re following us. They''re headed there too!" Both men went silent for a second, Devon being the first to respond. "Possibly, I mean that truck in front looks like it''s been through it so whoever is driving it has probably been around here enough to know about its location." "Now that you mention it..." Ross piped up, "that does kinda look like Jason McDougal''s truck." Now it was Morgan''s turn to be confused, "Jason McDougal? The hunter from school that shot that massive buck last year and wouldn''t shut up about it?" "I was thinking it looked familiar," Devon said while avoiding a pothole. ------------ "What the fuck?" asked Jason as the cars ahead of him turned off onto the side road he was headed down. "What?" Abe asked, looking up from his phone. "These cars have been in my way the whole trip from like... Holbrook or something!" A smirk crept onto the geek''s face at the irritation in the hunter''s voice, "Wait seriously?" "Yeah. It''s like these guys know exactly where we''re going and are only there to drive slow enough to annoy the fuck out of me!" "Road rage much?" "Dude. The moment they got onto the back roads they dropped to like 10 miles below the speed limit." "Maybe their cars can''t handle the roads?" "Then why the hell are they going into the backwoods!?" Jason yelled in impotent rage, barely restraining himself from speeding up to tap the car in front of him. "I don''t know man, maybe they have some- wait... hhhhhhold the fuck up," Abe said leaning forwards to get a better look at the blur of occupants and some of the decals "What?" Jason growled through clenched teeth "That''s... That''s fucking Devon Boone" the bewildered geek spat out in a strange half-laugh. All at once the rage leaking out of the driver was replaced with confusion "Hold up, Devon Boone? As in, mosh pit madman ''I saw The Sprightful Saviors in concert'' David Boone?" "Do you know of anyone else in town who would possibly have an Enginebrain or Goat Eater decal on their car?" After a few seconds Jason responded, "no... no I can''t think of anyone but him who''d put that on their car." About a minute of silence spread out between the two, the sounds of the country road and quiet radio seemingly amplified by the tension. Finally Jason broke it with a simple, if obvious question. "Why would Devon, of all people, be going down the back roads after school?" Abe looked back up from his phone in thought and opened his mouth before closing it again, "I... don''t... know actually. Maybe there''s a... thing happening out here?" "Hmmm... Well... there''s another car in front of him, so maybe he''s following that one somewhere?" "Yeah that''d make sense," Abe said looking back to his phone, "who do you think he''s following?" "Man, I don''t know," Jason sighed, the emotion draining from his voice. "It''s not like it''d matter anyways," the hunter thought, "we''re practically there as it is." The caravan of vehicles made their way down the back roads, some more anxious than others, and soon arrived at the location of the cave. The cars pulled off first, the small area just before it capable of holding all of the vehicles with a bit of room to spare, and the trucks followed. Randy and Jason hopped out of their seats and quickly made their way over to each other as the others began to unload. "Why the hell were you following us?" the thug said, bumping Jason with his chest. The taller hunter was unfazed and leaned down to get in the shorter man''s face while balling his fists, "following you, Caratan? Why the hell are you out here if your shitbox can''t handle the road?" "Oh you think you''re so tough, huh?" Randy grabbed the knife in his pocket and flipped it out, "call me that one more time and we''ll see how tough you are!" Ross and Marie glanced at each other and bolted forwards, getting in between the two before they could come to blows. "Hold on a minute," Marie said in an attempt to cool things down, "there has to be a good explanation for this." "Yeah," Ross continued, "why would they just randomly be following us?" Randy eyed the man in the camo jacket, still wanting to shank him, but instead simply asked, "why were you following us?" "You heard the legend of the cave?" the hunter replied. "Yeah, we heard it, that''s why we''re here." "Ditto. Looks like we made the same plans on the same day." "Looks like it." The two men narrowed their eyes at each other and backed away. The two groups looked at each other, unsure how to continue. After a moment that stretched into eternity, Devon spoke up. "So... why are you guys here? I wouldn''t figure you''d be the type to believe in ghosts or urban legends." Abe shrugged, "we figured it''d be interesting. We play Crypts and Crawlers every week and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it out for ourselves. Even if nothing happened, we''d have a better grasp on how delving really feels." "Besides," Marie added, "it''s not like ghosts are real anyways. It''s just abandoned, not haunted." "Oh? How do you know that?" Morgan asked, annoyed at Marie''s surety. "Oh, of course the little ''witch'' is going to say otherwise," she rolled her eyes and did finger quotations on the word witch, "next you''ll say that fairies dance on your fingertips and demons obey your edgy commands! Get real." Morgan was taken aback at the words. Devon, Ross, and George all exchanged looks before the quarterback sighed and shook his head. "Really, Marie?" he said, glaring tiredly at her for starting this. "What?" she asked incredulously. The blond sportsman rubbed his eyes, "you really need to learn how to keep your mouth shut." Marie stammered, "wha- but I-" Ross, noting that Morgan seemed to be about 5 seconds from exploding, decided to steer the situation away from the obvious end point. "We came for the ghost," he stated plainly, "we figured if there was one, this would be the perfect circumstance for it." "Yeah," Devon added and counted on his fingers, "trauma, imprisonment, strong ties, strong desires... It''s textbook so, if there is one, it''d be here." The anger from Morgan seemed to go from almost over-boiling to a light simmer. The three men glanced at each other, silently thanking the other for helping to diffuse the situation. The two women glared at each other, clearly not going to let this go. Jesse decided that they''d done enough screwing around and motioned to the doorway sitting against the hill. The two groups looked at the entrance and moved closer. It was set into a concrete wall which itself was set into the side of a hill. The door frame was weathered and rusted, the rubber almost completely rotten away. The remaining metal of the hinges was rusted and pitted, long nights in bad weather had eaten away at it. The door was nowhere to be found, probably taken as salvage by transients. The grass was overgrown and moss had climbed up the wall. "So who''s going in first?" asked Abe. The question was obvious but the answer was less so. "I''ll go," Randy and George said at the same time. The two looked at each other and nodded. Randy slipped in first and George followed right behind him. The others, unable to stall any longer, entered behind them. "Woah"
George Willem Stats Strength - 5 Intelligence - 4 Nimbleness - 3 Acumen - 3 Physique - 4 Synchronicity - 4 Empathy - 3 Skills -Brawl 1, Dodge 3, Climb 2, Driving 2, Swim 3, Weaponry 3, Bluff 2, Diplomacy 2, Knowledge (AP High School) 4, Sense Motive 3, Technology 2 Equipment -Derbyball Bat, Backpack, Duffel Bag, Phone, Wallet, Keys, Water Bottle, Notebook, Pens, Pencils, Textbooks, Folders, Papers, Protein Bar, Mechanic Kit, Tire Iron, Jumper Cables Description: -Tall, Lean, and Strong, top Quarterback material. Handsome Nari guy and the most generic "Jock" you can think of. Fred Jones Physique. Wears Plain t-shirts and jeans with running shoes. Blond hair, ice blue eyes, and fair skin with a few freckles here and there due to his time in the sun. -Born to a middle class, suburban family who pushed him to succeed at an early age. He played junior league derbyball (similar to baseball) when he was younger but changed to rumble(similar to football) in middle school. Got into C&C through old school RTS and dungeon crawler computer games. Met his group of friends at school and joined up with the C&C club in high school where he officially met the other 3 group members but had seen them in school for years. He''s had a few girlfriends through the years, but never made advances on them and is on good terms with his exes. A1C2 - First Steps "Woah," the word escapes Abe''s mouth before he could stop it. The group walked through the rusted, overgrown entrance to find a sizeable room with the statue of a young woman and an archway leading deeper in. The room was lit by the late afternoon sun filtering through the entrance and appeared to have been built mostly with concrete and cinder blocks, though that wasn''t to say it was shoddy as there wasn''t a single piece out of place and the floor was level and smooth. The group spread out across the room, investigating every nook and cranny they could see. George was captivated by the statue. It was sculpted to be an attractive woman in her early 20s wearing revealing, if stylish, clothes, carrying a phone in one hand, a shopping tote in the other, and striking a dynamically cheerful pose. The plaque on the base read: "Patricia Millicent Beloved daughter" Slowly the rest of the group filtered over to admire the statue. A soft murmuring filled the chamber as they all took it in. Something was bugging Marie about the room and the statue, though she couldn''t quite place it. Just as she was about to say something, Jason whipped around towards the archway causing everyone to turn to him. "I swear I just saw someone out of the corner of my eye," he said as he motioned to the passageway deeper in. Jesse, slightly annoyed, simply rolled his eyes and walked over, attempting to peer into the gloom of the next room unsuccessfully. It was just then that Marie finally figured out what was wrong. "It''s clean" the short AP student said in a voice somewhere between curiosity and confusion, drawing looks from a few others in the group. "It''s clean!" she reiterated, motioning to the room, "There''s no dust, no dirt, no trash, no tags, bones, waste, nothing. It''s spotless. Like someone has been cleaning up whenever the wind blows something in or an animal enters." Upon hearing that, everyone began looking around with new eyes and as the realization set in they started to feel uneasy. They knew they were probably trespassing, but now they felt as though they could be walked in on at any minute. And with Jason claiming to see someone, a few were already starting to get nervous. Randy and George looked at each other. Deciding it''d be for the best to get this over with as quickly as possible, they moved towards the passage deeper in. The two pulled out their phones and turned on the flashlight to pierce the murky darkness of the next room. Reaching the entrance, the beams of light illuminated the room beyond to reveal another archway and room past it and a few small puddles of some pinkish liquid scattered across the floor. Randy went to enter but George grabbed his shoulder. The thug glanced back and the taller blond shook his head and motioned to the floor. Randy looked down and screwed up his face. "What?" he said, obviously confused. "The liquid," George stated intensely. "What about it?" "The place seems weirdly clean, right? No dust, no trash, nothing. But there''s puddles of something in here. And what liquid do you know is pink?" "Coolant, medicine, floor cleaner... What''s your point?" "And how many of those would you think to see in a bunker in the woods?" Randy rolled his eyes and shook the larger man''s hand off his shoulder. Stepping into the room, he went to quickly cross it when he stepped into a puddle of the pink stuff and heard a gasp behind him. He pulled his foot out, noticing it was sticking to his shoe and a thin syrupy string connected his shoe and the puddle. He felt a strong hand on his shoulder and was suddenly pulled backwards out of the room. Wheeling around he saw the lumbering jock he''d just walked away from was the one who''d yanked him back. Before he could say anything, he noticed something about him. While he was already fair skinned, he''d turned white as a sheet and his eyes were practically the size of saucers. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Randy asked, slightly taken aback by the man''s appearance. "It moved," George said, drawing looks from a few other people. "What?" "It. Moved. The puddle. Moved." "What. No. There''s no way the puddle mo-" "The puddle moved to be in your way so you''d step on it." "That''s impossib-ow what the?" Randy was just about to tell him off when his foot started hurting. "Oh my gods!" screamed Marie and Randy looked down to see his wet shoe was falling apart. Scrambling to get it off, he tossed it into the room with the puddles and watched as it hit one. The shoe slowly sank into the puddle that was way smaller than it. Randy started freaking out, sensibly thinking he might lose his foot. George pulled his water bottle from his pocket and dumped it on Randy''s foot, watching in awe as the pink residue completely evaporated from the sock and visible skin. The rest of the group looked on in shock and began to murmur among each other. Jason sighed and everyone looked at him. He nodded towards the vehicles and walked out. The remaining members looked between each other and couldn''t manage a single coherent thought between them. After about a minute of decision paralysis Jason returned with a fire axe and a backpack, startling everyone out of their stupor. "What the hell?" asked Jesse, "why do you have that?" "Simple," Jason began, "regardless of what''s inside we''ll need some form of protection and I use it all the time so I know what I''m doing with it." "What do you mean you ''use it all the time?''" Ross asked, backing away from the now armed man. Jason gave him a flat look and gestured to his camo jacket, camo backpack, boots, and blue jeans, "I go camping all the time. I gotta cut firewood somehow." Ross nodded and released a breath he didn''t realize he was holding. "Am I the only one who doesn''t see the use of an axe against puddles?" Morgan asked while looking around the room at everyone else. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "George said it moved," Jason shrugged, "if he was seeing things then it doesn''t matter. If he wasn''t, then at least we have some possibility of dealing with it." Agreeing with his rationale, George and Abe exit the bunker only to return about a minute later with their backpacks on and each carrying something. George had a large bat in his hands and Abe carried a long, gnarled stick. "Wait, I you play derby? I thought you played rumble?" Devon asked, slightly confused that the quarterback had a derbyball bat in his car. "Eh, I was in junior league. I still play occasionally, but it''s not my preferred sport," George replied while giving a few slow swings to warm up. "Okay so the sporty guy has a bat, that''s not weird, but why do you," Devon pointed at Abe, "have a stick?" Abe smirked and held it up, "because the quickest way to see if they actually move or not is to poke them and see what happens." During the discussion, Morgan slipped out and came back in holding a dagger. No one noticed her leave which caused Ross to flinch away when she suddenly appeared next to him holding a large knife. Morgan just chuckled to herself as he muttered not to do that under his breath.
<"Listen... I know you want to keep me safe but I don''t think they want to do me harm. I know I''m asking a lot of you, but can you try not to hurt them? I don''t think they even know what you are or even really know about me given how they''ve been acting. Just please, I don''t want to scare them off.">
Abe moved over to the archway with the long stick held in front of him. George held his light up to give his friend a better view and the geek crept forwards, angling the stick towards the nearest puddle. As he went to prod it, the puddle slid out of the way and Abe flinched back. "Yep!" he called out distressed, "they''re moving!" Everyone else started to move closer as he went to prod it again and again it moved. The crowd was fascinated by the display. How was a puddle moving? Even better, how did it know where the stick was going to be? With an annoyed lunge, Abe finally managed to stab the puddle with the pointy end of the stick and it gurgled before forming into a small slick orb of some kind of viscous semi-fluid. Everyone stepped back except Jason and George. "Is that..." Jason asked, unable to finish his question. "There''s no way," George answered. "Well obviously it is," countered Abe and the three of them looked at each other. "I wonder if it works like it does in C&C or the way it does in BattleForge?" asked George, eyeing his own weapon. "Only one way to find out," Jason muttered before entering the room, axe at the ready. The jock and hunter entered the room, eyes glued to the jiggling blob in the corner. The two readied their weapons and the blob leapt at Jason. He dodged the attack with surprising speed and, with reflexes he didn''t know he had, sliced the underside of the blob as it sailed past. The strange creature slapped against the wall behind the two and they spread out a little more, attempting to make it harder to attack them both. The blob slithered forwards, syrupy liquid leaking from its underside into the cracks between the flagstones. George took the initiative this time, stepping forwards and bringing his bat down on the creeping bubble. It impacted but didn''t seem to do anything, though George could have sworn he felt something hard move against the bat from inside. The blob slithered onto the bat as George lifted it back up, a thick trail of slime reaching up from the floor to nearly shoulder height. Jason lunged forwards and cleanly slashed through the tether, a crystal falling out with the rest of the liquid as the outer coating was torn asunder. The two men breathed heavily from the adrenaline surging through their veins. They began to let down their weapons when they saw the other puddles begin to jiggle as well. "Hey!" George shouted at the people watching, "a little help here?" They all looked between each other then Randy and Morgan stepped forwards, blades at the ready. One of the remaining puddles leapt into the air towards Morgan''s head, only to be intercepted by George''s bat. Morgan ducked her head in reflex as it made contact, the slime blob splatting hard against the wall and slowly reforming. The puddle closest to Morgan popped up and slithered next to her. She started and slashed at the mound of jelly, missing as it slid around her to attack the thug it''d taken the shoe of. Randy never saw it coming. He stepped forwards and plunged his foot directly into the body of the blob. Instantly he recoiled and tried to yank it out, but it was stuck inside. He lost his balance and toppled to the ground, trying in vain to kick the pink mass off of him. Jason sunk his axe into the newly reformed slimeball and saw it gush over his blade like a watermelon. George shouted and the hunter''s attention was drawn to the thug on the ground just as the witch''s dagger sliced down. He assumed he was witnessing a murder as viscous liquid poured out of the prone man''s foot, only realizing what had happened after the light was trained on the foot. The liquid was a hot pink color, not the crimson red of blood. Everyone in the room took a few deep breaths, letting the adrenaline slowly die down. "So..." George breathed, "what just happened?" "I think we just killed a bunch of slimes," Jason said, letting his axe fall from ready. "Slimes don''t exist though." "Well apparently they do here." Morgan was too busy freaking out to pay attention. She''d never killed anything before. She felt herself being moved from her friend on the floor. She looked around to see Ross guiding her away while Jesse moved forwards to tend to Randy. Jesse pulled off the shoe and doused it and the foot underneath with water, watching the goop slide off. Tapping Randy''s foot with a small rock and not seeing any reaction, he was satisfied that his foot wasn''t damaged. He was still concerned that whatever acid was inside of those things might have soaked into his skin, but only time would tell. Jesse helped him up, making sure he was steady on his feet before looking at the other two in the room. "What just happened?" the goth asked. George shrugged, "you came here for a ghost and instead we found some slimes." "Before you ask," Jason butted in before Jesse could respond, "no. We don''t know how this is possible." Jesse sighed and walked out of the room. He hadn''t signed up for this. Morgan was recovering quickly, but everyone in the room looked nervous. He heard the three men walk back into the room behind him. Everyone seemed to look to them for direction and Jesse turned to look at them as well. "We may not have found a ghost, but we found something weirder," Jason said plainly, his axe now covered with a pink film. "So what should we do?" Ross asked, making sure Morgan was fine. "Well we have a few options," George said, counting on his fingers, "we can leave now and never come back -leaving the mystery alone- but always wondering about it, we could delve deeper in to figure this out, or we could come back later when we''re better equipped."
Jesse Ramone Stats -Strength - 3 -Intelligence - 3 -Nimbleness - 3 -Acumen - 4 -Physique - 4 -Synchronicity - 2 -Empathy - 4 Skills -Brawl 2, Dodge 2, Intimidation 3, Sleight of Hand 3, Stealth 2, Bluff 2, Knowledge (High School, Goth, Varied) 3, Perception 3, Sense Motive 2, Technology 2, Animal Handling 1, Forgery 2, Medical 3 Equipment -Phone, Wallet, Backpack, Keys, Notebook, Pens, Pencils, Textbooks, Folders, Papers, Snack, Poetry book, Journal, Chain Necklace, Makeup kit. Description -Skinny, pale Juki (Father is Nari, Mother is Tanzi), Black Hair, Blue Eyes ringed with Eyeliner. Wears edgy shirts, ripped jeans, black shoes, and a chain necklace. -Born to a low class family, his father got him into rock and horror at a young age. Had a normal childhood and got into art, poetry, and internet forums around 5th grade. Slowly got introduced to darker music and stumbled onto the Goth subculture, then slowly became more comfortable in it over time. He never had too many friends but slowly made good friends with the other outcasts at school, having weekly vibe and game sessions with Devon and Ross. Hasn''t had a girlfriend, but hasn''t really felt the need for a relationship. -Can be a bit mopey at times, but is a calm guy overall. Finds edgy jokes hilarious and can often be found listening to goth rock. Dispassionate unless shit''s going down, then gets very reactive. A1C3 - Locks are Made for Picking <"I need you all to pop out," the phantom said to the nearly empty room, "I want them to get deeper in. I can''t scare them away. I... I need them to come back.">
"Find anything?" Randy asked, not really wanting to step in another slime. "Not yet," Abe replied as he worked over the floor with the stick. If any traps or weird things were in here, he''d try to find them. Behind him, he heard the rest shuffling back in. A few more people went to get their stuff from the vehicles and were just now making their way back to the group. His train of thought was broken as he felt the stick get stuck in something. Pulling the stick up, he noticed a familiar pink goop. "We got hostiles!" he called out as he flung the goop deeper into the room. George and Jason moved to the front and Marie poked around him with her phone, trying to light up as much of the room as she could and making two depressions visible on opposite sides of the room as well as a door on the wall opposite them. They were able to see two of those pink slimes jiggling around. George stepped forwards to rush them. His weapon didn''t seem to hurt them, but he could easily draw their attention. He stepped into the room, took a stance, then fell on his ass the moment he went to move deeper. The slimes bounced forwards. One landed on his leg and the other barely missed his head. Abe swung the stick and bashed the slime away from his head, the slime sliding a few feet away. Jason moved forwards slowly, noting the slick floor, and swung at the slime Abe had pushed. The slime easily avoided his swing and slipped away. George winced and whacked the blob off of his leg. The pink gel had started eating through his pants and his skin had started to sting. He struggled to get to his feet, his every movement unsteady due to the slick floor. He smiled as he watched the ball of slime bounce towards him. He readied his bat and prepared to splay the blob against the wall. Suddenly a knife flew through the air from behind him and sunk into the gel coming towards him. He glanced back and saw Randy in the archway. The blob undulated and tried to push the knife out, but George had moved over and swung his bat like a golf club. The impact landed directly against the knife and broke the jelly ball open like an egg. Jason yelped and the sportsman looked over to see him on his back with the remaining gel on his chest. Jason managed to sit up and tried to swat the thing off of him, only succeeding in getting his hands stuck to it. Randy moved over. Seeing the axe on the ground, he grabbed it and got the hunter''s attention. With a shared nod, the thug brought the axe down and cut the pink snotball in half. Marie came over and doused him with her water bottle to get rid of the tingling slime covering him while Devon tended to George.Thankfully it had only dissolved his jacket and, other than his hands, hadn''t touched his skin. Marie looked at the remnants of the slime thoughtfully. It ate through clothing quickly but seemed to have trouble with flesh. Or at least, it took much longer to dissolve flesh. And how was it so weak to water? "Does it matter?" asked Jason, looking at her blankly, "I''d consider us lucky that it doesn''t eat through flesh as fast as it does clothes." She was thinking out loud again. She really did need to learn how to keep her mouth shut. "I''m just wondering. If only I''d brought some vials. I''d love to get a sample to test things with." Jason nodded and she helped him up. Devon and Ross were scanning the room with their lights, finding two doors where the depressions were. Of the three doors, two were plain and one was fairly ornate with detailed carvings in the shape of a crown and two orbs. Randy, Abe, and Jesse spread out to check the doors. "Locked" said Randy as he tried one of the plain doors. "Same here," Abe said, stepping back from the other plain one door. "This one''s not," Jesse added, finding that the door knob of the ornate door easily moved under his hand and the door nearly opened by itself. "Well that''s not suspicious at all," Devon stated plainly. "What do you mean?" Morgan asked. The metalhead looked at her, "the only unlocked door in the abandoned bunker deep in the forest guarded by living slimeballs is carved with two orbs and a crown." Morgan nodded as he laid it out. "And," he noted after swinging his light onto the door, "it looks like it''s covered in gold paint. That giving anyone else alarm bells?" The group had to agree. It was suspicious. Randy knelt down by his door and started fiddling with it. Abe noticed and made his way over, minding the slick floor. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "Whatcha doin?" he asked once he got closer. "Trying to pick the lock" Randy answered simply. "You know how to do that?" "I''m a little rusty, but I used to be pretty good at it." "Need me to shine the light?" Abe offered as more of the group started filtering over. "Nah, I''ve almost got it. Besides, it''s mostly feel and techniq-" there was a click and the door shuddered as it slightly opened, "got it!" The group gathered around as the door was opened. Randy took a step inside, knife at the ready, and a light turned on. Then another. And another. The sudden bright light blinded them for a few seconds. When their eyesight cleared, they were met with a room completely alien to their surroundings. A large room with multiple ceiling lights, pink carpet, a hot pink roof, and white painted drywall. Shelves of shoes and accessories lined the walls while a circular hanging rack nearly bursting with clothes filled the majority of the room. An ornate mirror and fitting chair sat in the far corner, almost obscured by the clothes rack. The group of seniors was stunned. A moment later, Marie entered the room. She looked around, taking in the various revealing styles and materials. She was joined soon after be a few more, but by then she''d started trying to figure out how the lights were powered. She didn''t see any wiring outside the room, but it''s possible it was behind the cinderblocks. She moved closer to the door, looking for a sensor that could have caused the lights to turn on but came up empty. She let loose a soft questioning grunt and was about to ask how it was possible when Abe spoke up. "We shouldn''t touch anything" said Abe "Why not?" asked Morgan, stopping just before picking up a chain necklace that was sitting next to a pair of leopard print guitar pick earrings. "It could be cursed for all we know" he replied. Marie rolled her eyes and started to move away. "I wouldn''t touch anything anyways. It''s too..." "Too what?" Abe asked. "...Tacky" she said in a disdainful voice.
<"Tacky? Tacky?! How dare you!?" Pinky yelled at the rude intruder. "I did not go to college for fashion design and create expensive materials for my clothes to be called ''tacky'' you little bitch!">
Despite being unable to hear the spirit''s tirade, George felt as though the energy in the air shifted slihtly and grimaced. Attempting to diffuse the situation he piped up. "Perhaps it''d be for the best that we not, ya''know, piss off the ghost. After all if she was locked in here then these are probably hers and if they are then insulting her sense of style probably won''t do us any favors." Marie sighed, "you''re right. There''s probably not a ghost or anything, but mocking a dead girl''s sense of style''s not gonna do anything good." She looked up and spoke steady and loud, "Patricia, I''m sorry for insulting your fashion sense." The group moved out of the room, their eyes struggling to adjust to the gloom after being in such bright light. No one had taken anything, either due to not wanting a mad ghost, not liking the style, or just simply not needing clothes like that. The group made their way to the other plain door, getting there just as Randy managed to pick the lock. They expected another blindingly bright room, but were instead met with a somber light that filtered through the slowly opening door. Inside was a small fountain pool filled with water that was ringed with various flowers and small lights. In the middle of the pool was a stone statue of an old man with a kind face wearing a pressed suit with a cane in one hand and a small dog in the other. A plaque was situated on the base below his feet and between the small fountain nozzles that read: "Jenson H. Millicent Beloved Father, Philanthropist, Animal Rights Advocate, and Gourmand He will be sorely missed"
"What the hell?" asked Randy, jaw hanging open. Devon entered in behind him, his eyes scanning the walls for any other info. When his eyes drifted over the statue he noticed the plaque and read it aloud, drawing confused looks from the rest. "Wait, wasn''t he supposed to be a monster?" asked Jesse, peeking from around the door frame. "Yeah," replied Ross, "he was a total ass. Locked his daughter away for his own selfish desires and kept her chained in a gilded cage. Even had her hunted down when she ran away." "That''s not the vibe I''m getting from this place," Morgan stated hesitantly. "Tell me about it," added Randy, "it''s like a memorial or something." "Well no shit," Devon said while glancing at the thug in annoyance, "obviously it''s a memorial. The question is, who made it?" "It couldn''t have been Patricia," reasoned George as he leaned in from the doorway, "she died before he did." "Do you think it was prearranged?" added Ross, moving closer to the statue. Marie shrugged, having entered the room as the space became available, "it''s possible, but why would it be here? Why not somewhere that it could be seen? Like over by Patricia''s statue or outside?" "Wait, what''s that?" asked Ross, intently staring at the statue''s face before shining his light on it for a better look. There was a pink kiss mark on the statue''s right cheek. "What in the actual-" Randy started before it died on his lips. "Is that a...?" George began but quickly quieted down. The room was silent except for the sound of flowing water. A pin could have been heard dropping against the flagstones. Glancing at one another, the group silently shuffled out. Not one of them sure how to parse the strange room.
Abraham Cortes Stats -Strength - 3 -Intelligence - 5 -Nimbleness - 3 -Acumen - 4 -Physique - 2 -Synchronicity - 3 -Empathy - 3 Skills -Dodge 2, Stealth 1, Swim 1, Gather Information 3, Knowledge (High School, Varied) 4, Perception 3, Technology 4, Craft (electronics) 2, Disable Item 4 Equipment -Phone, Wallet, Backpack, Keys, Camera, Notebook, Pens, Pencils, Textbooks, Folders, Papers, Sketchbook, Fantasy Novel, Snack, 10-Foot Pole/Branch. Description -Slightly overweight but holds it well. Black hair, Brown Eyes, Golden Skinned Iuiqui, wears Glasses, Movie T-Shirts, Jeans, and Sneakers. -Born to a lower middle class family, his parents were old geeks who got into computers when they were first coming out. His parents introduced him to sci-fi and fantasy classics at an early age and he spent a lot of his youth gaming. He first played CnC with his cousins and was hooked ever since. He never had too bad of a time at school, though he had the occasional bullying incident. The only real bad incident was defused by the quarterback of the football team threatening the bully and he backed off. Later on, that quarterback would join the CnC club he started in high school. Has never had a girlfriend. -Quiet but thoughtful, always doodling something or jotting down ideas. Built his own computer and was in the robotics club, even had a side gig jail-breaking phones for students. Pretty shy, but not awkward. A1C4 - Queen of Slimes The door opened easily as though it had just been oiled yesterday. The room beyond it was large and though the flashlight beams weren''t able to illuminate the whole room, there appeared to be a large circular pit in the middle and another ornate door on the opposite wall. The group made their way in slowly, not needing to spread out very much to find room for everyone. As the last person entered the door slammed shut, startling everyone. Jesse frantically pulled at the door, jostling the doorknob as hard as he could. "It''s locked!" he cried out, practically dislocating his shoulder in his struggling "What do you mean it''s locked?!" asked Devon as he started to panic. "It won''t be locked when I carve the hinges off!" Jason growled as he readied his axe, moving towards the door. As all of this was going on, Ross and Marie were investigating the pit and the other door respectively. Marie''s light danced across the intricate carvings on the door. Engravings of deer, trees, and vines filled the wooden canvas. Trying the doorknob, she found that it was locked as well. Ross'' light shone brightly into the hole and revealed a large pool of roiling pink sliquid, much like the blobs from before were made from. "Guys! I think we''ve got a bigger problem!" the stoner called out as he stumbled backwards. "Oh what now?" asked Randy, seeing Ross almost fall from the speed he was moving. Almost in answer to his question, light shone from above the door they''d entered in. An unnoticed sconce above the door suddenly lit aflame, bathing the chamber with soft, flickering light. One by one, more sconces around the room flared to life, illuminating the room further and making the dim shadows dance wildly from various directions. A mass of pink slime seemed to heave upwards and drew all attention to the pit. Those closest backed away as a large pillar of slime slowly rose from the center of the pool, excess sliquid pouring off and forming other features of the growing being. Long tendril-like pseudopods flowed from the top like hair as a neck and shoulders became defined. Two tentacles ending in orbs with claw-like protrusions flowed from the shoulders, drawing fluid from lower on the pillar and making it appear as though it had a slim, humanoid waist. Two glowing spots appeared on the thing''s head where eyes would be on a human and a glowing red orb shone from its'' torso. The red light was soon further protected by deposits of crystal over it, like a chest plate in the form of a sleeveless crop top. The being seemed to have no lower section, just an extension of the pool it emerged from. A low rumbling noise filled the chamber as it vibrated, a warning to those in the room. Two smaller blobs surfaced at the edge of the pit, slipping over the lip to join their queen in battle. The group was stunned. Standing stuck in their positions with their mouths hanging open as the creature emerged. One of the smaller blobs leapt at Jesse, barely missing and breaking him out of his stupor. The goth yelled, breaking the spell''s hold on the others, and slammed his body against the door in an attempt to bust through it. He was thrown to the side as Devon barreled into him, a massive beam of slime swiping through the air where he''d stood just a moment earlier. The room was a flurry of chaotic movement. The seniors barely managing to dodge the tendrils of slime and tentacle slams from the huge figure. George managed to bat one of the little slimes directly into the face of the figure, doing nothing to damage either and earning the ire of both. Marie was slammed to the floor, the other blob extending pseudopods to wrap around her waist. She screamed and felt it squirm off of her as Morgan dashed past and the sliquid splashed next to her. Jason pressed himself against the wall, narrowly avoiding the fingers raking against the ground on their way to George. He felt his axe in his hand, far too small for the task he needed it for, and moved forward. Watching George jump over the arm sailing towards him and Randy cut open the second of the smaller slimes, Jason readied his axe and struck. The entire pit of slime undulated as a deep rumbling filled the chamber. The giant figure of slime turned to look at the hunter as he backed away trembling, the source of the pain clutched in his hand. One of the arm-like tentacles swung towards him. He closed his eyes and braced for the impact, fully expecting to be slammed into the wall or floor. Instead he heard a strange "shlumph" sound and another rumble. Opening his eye, he saw George with his bat embedded in the hand of the creature. The arm stopped from reaching him by the force of the impact. Another rumble sounded out and the stunned hunter glanced across the room to see Randy stabbing into the trunk of the slimy beast. The giant slime''s head tendrils snaked towards the thug and slashed across his chest. His shirt torn and soaked in the thing''s slime he slashed at the pseudopods. The tendrils dropped into the pit and soon reformed, doing nothing to deter the massive thing from turning its focus onto the man with the knife. As he backed away from the edge of the pit Randy nearly slipped on a slimy part of the floor. Taking the opportunity, one of the large tentacles hurtled towards him and froze mid-swing. A loud rumble echoed through the room and the creature''s "face" deformed into a facsimile of a scream. The creature''s body locked up as a gnarled spear pierced through its chest, angled up under it''s semisolid plating. The burning red core of the creature was shunted out of its body by the point of the branch. Abe''s chest heaved from the exertion. The thought that he really needed to work out more shot through his head. "Will someone," the geek growled out, "smash that fucking core!" The form of the creature melted back into the pit. Streams of slime reached out to reclaim the crimson gem like tendrils of pink snaking through the air seeking their heart. Randy, thinking quickly, kicked the core across the room just before the streams reached it. As it reached Jesse, he popped it up like a hackysack and quickly met the gaze of George. The jock''s eyes narrowed and he dropped into a ready stance. The goth nodded and palmed the core, launching it at the waiting man just before the serpents of slime reached him. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. A loud bang reverberated through the room. The red orb made contact with the solid bat and was sent directly into the opposite wall with far more force than it had been launched with. Shards showered Randy, Ross, and Morgan, who reflexively covered their heads. The roiling pit instantly calmed down and the flowing streams collapsed to the floor, spreading out with no conscious direction. The silence was profound, the group unable to breathe from the gasps caught in their throats. Merely a second later the silence was broken with a click. The entrance door slowly opened, giving them a way back out of the chamber. The group sighed, releasing the breaths they''d been unwillingly holding. One by one they started moving again. Some picking themselves up, others shaking out themselves to soothe aching muscles. Marie moved over to pick up some of the shards of the core. She didn''t have anything good to put them in, but she could use her empty water bottle. Just as she thought about it her skin started to tingle, reminding her about the slime still on her. The group was quiet, too tired, hurting, and numb to speak for the moment. Another click was heard from the other side of the room. The group turned to look and watched as the ornate door decorated in deer and vines slowly swung open. A soft light emanated from the opening and Devon and Morgan moved over to investigate. The door hid a staircase leading deeper into the earth and the light was coming from deeper down. With a look of shared consternation the two started down the stairs. Descending the steps, they turned a corner and were met by something truly amazing. Sunlight streamed in from the archway; the sight of grass and a packed dirt trail coming further into view the lower they went. A flash of purple light and a chorus of shocked gasps came from the room behind them but they payed it no heed. Stepping through the archway they were met by a forest trail, a crisp breeze making the branches sway lazily. The open sky stretched out above them, bordered by tall trees. Behind them the archway they walked through seemed to be part of a park border fence, the archway taking the place of a gate. The two looked at each other in shock, struggling to make sense of what they were seeing. The group back in the room looked in shocked amazement at the items that laid next to the slime pit. A small shield made of some sort of translucent crystal material with a bright red gem in the center laid across the pit from a walking stick made of the same material holding up a bright crimson orb at the knob. George moved forward to pick up the shield, watching it resize to fit him as he picked it up. Two stretchy straps and a firm handle appeared on the back for him to wear it easily. Meanwhile Jesse picked up the cane, feeling it flex in his hands but grow rigid and inflexible when he actually placed it against the floor. The two men glanced around at the others, hoping they hadn''t overstepped by taking the loot. The others were too busy coming to terms with what happened to take offense, besides they''d performed the killing blow anyways. They''d just witnessed a purple orb emerge from the slime pit, split into two, then turn into a shield and cane. Then resize to perfectly fit their comrades. Suddenly, Ross and Marie noticed two completely different things. "Wait, where did Devon and Morgan-" Ross started, looking around. "Why are you two glowing?" Marie concernedly asked, pointing at Jason and George. The two men looked at each other and started freaking out. They were surrounded by a barely visible shimmering aura. George attempted to swat it away. Jason was captivated, trying to figure out what was happening but being unable to process it. Jesse noticed that both men looked slightly more handsome than they had when they walked in the room, but decided against pointing it out and giving the wrong idea. He was straight, but he could admit when someone was attractive regardless. "Guys!" shouted Ross, getting everyone''s attention, "we''re missing two people!" The others glanced around, finally noticing that the two were gone. Before anyone could ask where they went or what happened to them, the two of them crested the staircase and drew all eyes to them. "You will not believe what is down there," Devon stated, his voice as flat as his gaze was long. "What is it? Prison cells?" guessed Randy. "Not even close," breathed Morgan, leaning against the doorway. "Then... what is it?" Jason asked, the shimmer faded from him and George scant moments before the two had reappeared. "A forest," the two said at the same time, their own voices revealing they couldn''t believe their own words either. "Bull. Shit." Randy enunciated, moving towards them, "Did you two get knocked in the head by that slime thing?" The shook their heads and Morgan motioned towards the stairs, "you can check it out yourself." Randy narrowed his eyes and pushed past the two, descending the stairs and moving out of view. The metalhead and witch moved into the room mechanically, their minds struggling to come to terms with the info they''d come into. Surely this couldn''t be real. Devon''s bruises felt real though. Jesse prodded him with his cane and *it* felt real, albeit oddly soft. Randy came back up the stairs with a look of incredulity on his face and a handful of grass. That grass was the final straw. Slowly, quietly, the group exited the bunker. The rooms merely a blur as they moved through them. The seniors filed into their vehicles and began the drive back to town.
George Willem - [Level Up] -[BP Gained - 34] -Perk Gained: [Class: Warrior - Rank 0] -Item Gained: [Slimecrystal Shield] Jason McDougal - [Level Up] -[BP Gained - 33] -Perk Gained: [Class: Scout - Rank 0] Jesse Ramone -Item Gained: [Slimecrystal Shillelagh] ----------- Devon Boone Stats -Strength - 4 -Intelligence - 3 -Nimbleness - 3 -Acumen - 4 -Physique - 3 -Synchronicity - 2 -Empathy - 4 Skills -Brawl 3, Dodge 3, Intimidation 3, Driving 4, Sleight of Hand 2, Weaponry 3, Diplomacy 2, Knowledge (High School, Music, Varied) 3, Perception 3, Sense Motive 3, Technology 2, Disable Item 1, Forgery 2 Equipment -Phone, Wallet, Backpack, Keys, Notebook, Pens, Pencils, Textbooks, Folders, Papers, Snack, Chain Necklace, Lighter, Brass Knuckles, Speaker, Cooler Chest, Water Bottle, Joint. Description -Tall, Skinny, Dreadlocks, Brown Eyes, Black Hair, Dark Skinned Anadru. Wears Band Tees, Ripped Jeans, Chain Necklace, Boots, Spiked Cuffs, Ear Piercings. -Born to a lower middle class family, his dad was a manager at a stadium and he was able to go to concerts as a kid. He discovered his love for metal music at a concert and tried to go to as many as he could. Around his teenage years he started dressing harder and rocking out on his guitar until it broke when he dropped it off a stage on accident. He slowly became part of the outcast group after buying weed from Ross and hanging around them long enough. He discovered he had quite a few interests in common with them and came around even when weed wasn''t the focus. Recently he''s been questioning his own beliefs in the paranormal and has begun to ask his own questions, occasionally asking Morgan and Ross questions about spirituality and the like. Hasn''t had a girlfriend but has gotten lots of action at concerts. -Kind but excitable. He''s reactive and ready to go at the drop of a hat unless he''s already doing something or has something planned. Gets ticked off when someone makes snide comments about his choice of music. A1C5 - First Floor: Complete! The ride back to town was quiet. The radios were barely making a dent in force of the whirlpools in each of their heads. As the vehicles reached town the split off to drop of their passengers before heading home. The sun was setting, but it was hard to believe that so much had happened in such a short time. Randy dropped off Jesse without a word and sped off. The only thing that kept him from crashing on his way home was muscle memory. He was lost in his mind. He''d lost his shoes and his shirt to what basically amounted to bouncing gelatin. His skin tingled where the syrupy liquid had touched him and normally that''d terrify him. It did at first, but not now. Not after that lumbering jock had dumped water on him the first time. His mind kept replaying that memory. The way the pink sliquid slid off with the water. How the tingling stopped the instant it was no longer in contact. His sock looked like it was bleeding pink but quicker than he thought possible it was back to dirty white again. He absentmindedly scratched his chest and took a seething breath. It was so sensitive that it brought him back to reality. That light scratch had felt like claws raking his flesh. He pulled up to his house. His parents weren''t home as usual. If they weren''t working, they were doing something for the community. At this moment though Randy couldn''t have cared less. He walked in the door and saw a note on the kitchen table. "We''ll be at the Nelson''s tonight having drinks with the PTA board. There''s lasagna in the fridge. -<3 Mom" He nodded and walked to the bathroom, dumping his stuff in the hallway. He''d take it to his room later. Right now he needed to get this pink stuff off of him. Stripping off the remnants of his clothes, he made a note on his phone to get new ones and new shoes. That stuff really did a number on them. After the shower he dragged his goods to his room. He didn''t even bother to put things away, just tossed his clothes scraps in the trash and fell into the bed. Despite the shower relaxing his body it did nothing to quell the storm of questions in his head. He needed to know where those pink things came from. And he figured there was only one way to find out.
George pulled into the driveway after taking Marie home, still numb from the day''s events. He didn''t see his parent''s van and assumed they were out on a date or doing something with his little brother. He parked his truck and walked into the house carrying his belongings and his new shield. His skin tingled as he moved, a constant reminder of what he''d been a part of. Walking up the stairs, he stashed his stuff in his room and took a long, hot shower. As the steam filled his sinuses he felt the gunk fogging his mind slowly drain away. The slimy film on his skin joining the metaphorical sludge as the near scalding water beat upon his body. His eyes unfocused as his mind wandered and he began to reflect on the day. How had his day ended like this? It had started on such a boring note. He hadn''t, in his wildest dreams, thought that he could ever experience what he''d found in that bunker. He thought back to the bunker. The statues, the clothes, how carefully maintained it all was. Surely someone would know they''d gone in. Especially after they''d gotten a look at them. Glancing down to the bruises beginning to form on his skin his mind was drawn to the pink slimes. Why did the acid only seem to dissolve their clothes? Why did they seem to be guarding the bunker? Where did they come from? What were those little crystals made from? Why had they popped up instead of just staying as puddles? He sighed and turned off the shower. Drying off his aching body he climbed into bed. He wasn''t hungry but it didn''t matter. He wasn''t sure if he could eat anyways. It took him ages to finally fall asleep and he did so with a single reluctant thought on his mind.
Jesse was dropped off at his house. He didn''t notice Randy driving off. He barely registered his parents welcoming him home. His head was foggy and his feet were lead. He didn''t even realize he''d walked into his room when suddenly he was sitting on his bed. He glanced at the clear stick with the red knob barely poking out of his backpack. How had he gotten it? He knew it wasn''t the right question but he didn''t know how else to phrase it. He''d watched it materialize from an orb of purple light after he helped to kill a giant slime in what he could best describe as a concrete dungeon. If it was still there in the morning he''d know it wasn''t a dream. He took out his phone and scrolled through social media until he was called out for dinner. Before he knew it, he was at the table with a mouthful of something. He ate mechanically, not even tasting the food as he finished his plate. He was asked the normal questions and it felt like he was on autopilot as he responded in half answers. Or rather as his body responded for him. With dinner finally done he went and got ready for bed. Only noticing he''d done his nightly routine once the water splashed on his face. He shook his head and blinked his eyes as if suddenly coming to from a deep sleep. He started hyperventilating and bent over the sink. Patting himself down, he felt a wave of relief at all of his clothing being intact. He went to his room, easily avoiding his little siblings, and laid down on his bed. He stared at the ceiling for what felt like an hour before he heard a knock at the door. "Yeah?" he called out to whoever was there. His dad slowly opened the door, "are you... alright son?" Jesse sat up, "yeah, I''m alright." "Are you sure?" his dad walked into the room and sat on his bed, "you seemed off at dinner tonight." Jesse nodded and sighed, "just... a long, stressful day." His dad patted his knee and smiled sadly, "I know that feeling all too well." Jesse side-eyed him as he kept talking. "Brain fog, feeling like a robot on autopilot, not even noticing where are you are, among other more minor things" Jesse openly stared as his dad easily filled in a checklist of what he''d been feeling. His dad gave him a warm smile and ruffled his hair, "don''t worry kiddo, it gets better." With that he got up and left the room, closing the door behind him. Jesse stared at the door. For all of his dad''s faults, he did truly love him and he understood Jesse far better than Jesse understood himself. Laying back down he began to actually process what had happened earlier in the day for the first time. Against his better judgement, he knew there was only one way to truly get to the bottom of this and find the answers to his questions.
Abe opened his front door, being greeted by his mother as soon as the door cracked open. He absentmindedly hugged her and headed to his bedroom. Once he closed his door he moved to his desk like a man possessed. Grabbing his graph paper he quickly sketched out the layout of the bunker the same way he''d sketched out countless dungeons for CnC. He scanned the paper for any known problems but couldn''t find any. He stared at the small cross-like sketch and felt like something was missing. Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his chair and laid his head on the top of his headrest. Thoughts swirled in his mind, more on mechanics than metaphysics. The bunker was a dungeon, he had no question about that. His problem was more how it had appeared and how it had gotten monsters inside of it. Slimes did not exist, this was an obvious but kind of misleading fact. There were various fungi, plants, fish, arthropods, toret, and jiba that produced slime in various forms. What didn''t exist -according to everything he''d ever read- were orbs that resembled giant single-cells with a crystalline nucleus, secreted acid that only melted clothes, and were capable of both bouncing like a kickball and turning into a puddle with barely any time spend changing between states. So... How had the dungeon acquired them? There''s no way they existed normally and just so happened to congregate within the bunker. He thought back to the Boss Room as he was calling it. The giant slime could have spawned them, maybe even sent them out into the rest of the bunker. But, no that couldn''t be the answer. It didn''t solve the main problem he had and only pushed it back one step. He might have a possible explanation for where the little ones came from, but if that was the case then where had the big one come from? And to add onto it how did it know what armor was? That thing had grown crystal plating around its ''chest'' to protect its'' core. Before he could continue his line of thought, he heard his mom calling for him. Sighing and opening his eyes, he left his room to find out what she needed only to find that he''d been lost in thought for longer than he thought. Dunner was ready and his parents were already digging in. He pulled out a chair and joined them. He could always think about it more later. Besides it wasn''t likely he''d figure it out on his own without more info.
Devon dropped off Morgan and Ross in a daze. He concentrated on the road, straining to see through the fog in his mind. He needed to make it home before he gave in to the swirling thoughts in his mind. Turning into the driveway he noticed his dad was out and assumed he was probably setting things up for a show. Parking his car, he trudged to the door and walked in. "Hey honey," he heard his mom say from another room, "how was your day?" "Fine," he said, internally wincing at how tired his voice sounded "Hm, alright then. Go get some rest sweetie. Your father''s getting things finalized at work, he''ll be home in a few hours." "Thanks mom." He opened his bedroom door and dropped onto his bed. Closing his eyes, he gave in to the whirlwind in his mind. What had just happened? How was it possible? Why did it happen here? He knew the answers to a few of those questions. ''What?'' He and the rest had investigated some abandoned bunker. Inside they found a bunch of acidic jelly blobs, a memorial, a walk-in closet, and an underground forest with a sky. They''d fought through it like some kinda video game and got loot from defeating a giant slime monster. ''How?'' He wasn''t entirely sure to be honest. The bunker was built like a decade ago so that''s part of the answer. The statues and closet could be for the father and the girl he''d imprisoned. The blobs and monster though... he was drawing a blank. Maybe Ross or Morgan had an answer there? ''Why'' was the only one he didn''t have the slightest clue about. If the rich dude wanted a secluded location, there were way better areas. Why did those gel things act so weird? Why didn''t that acid hurt anyone beyond removing their clothes? He needed more information.
Marie was dropped off in front of her house and let out a sigh of relief that her parents were working late. She wouldn''t have to explain why her clothes were ruined. Upon entering the empty house she took her shoes off next to the door, walked into the kitchen to grab a snack, then moved to her bedroom. Once inside her room, she stripped off her partially dissolved blouse and skirt. The feeling of her fingers grazing against the skin coated with the film of slime sent goosebumps across her body. Her breath hitched in her throat. She forgot it was on her skin. Dashing to the bathroom, she jumped in the shower and almost popped back out again when the cold water hit her. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Once the water began warming up she began to relax. The film quickly washed away and she watched the water gain and lose a slight pink tinge. What was that stuff? She finished cleaning up and got dressed again then put her mangled clothes on her desk. Trimming the parts affected by the acid, she then put them in a little glass jar. Taking the water bottle out of her backpack, she opened another jar and poured the contents inside. The little pieces of red crystal clinked as they hit the glass, tiny drops of pink slime hitting the glass where they fell. She resealed the jars and disposed of her clothes then sat back down at her desk. She needed more. This was too little for the experiments she wanted to try. How was this possible? An acid strong enough to eat through clothes in seconds but incapable of doing more than making flesh more sensitive? That doesn''t seem possible. She stared intently at the slime core shards, attempting in vain to glean any more information. Then a thought popped into her head. She knew exactly where and how to get the info she was lacking.
Morgan was energized. She kept slinging ideas at Ross the whole drive home even though he was too out of it to really interact much. When she was dropped off she bolted into her house. Saying hi to her mother, she dashed into her room and immediately began jotting down everything she''d witnessed. Paranormal and supernatural occurrences weren''t just rare, in fact she''d never had one that she hadn''t caused before. Abandoned architecture? Check. Unknown creatures? Check. Possible ghostly activity? Well since Jason had seen someone, check. Memorial Site? Check. Possible pocket dimension or hidden world? Check. Literal magically formed items? Double check. She was writing like a woman possessed. Sketching out diagrams and appearance recollections with just as much fervor as she was writing. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Yes?" she called out, not even looking away from the notebook she was absorbed in. Her mom opened the door, "darling, are you alright?" "I''m fine mom, why?" "Well, you seemed in quite the hurry." "I had an interesting paranormal experience today. I had to jot it down before I forgot any details." "...I see. Well... As long as you aren''t hurt darling." Morgan chuckled, "I''m fine mom." Her mother sighed, "that''s good. I''ll call for you when dinner''s ready." Morgan nodded and finished jotting down what she could remember. Ruffling through her desk for her tools she found what she was looking for. A small blue crystal on a chain. She got into position and cleared her mind to enter gnosis, holding the chain taut and speaking her questions aloud. As she watched the pendulum swing and circle, she wrote down the answers she was given with some personal shorthand to distinguish how strong the motion -and therefore the certainty- was. Soon enough, she''d gathered a list of varying answers at even more varied levels of certainty. Hearing her mother call her name she put the crystal down and got up. Just as she was about to leave the room, an idea struck her and she looked back at the crystal. She needed more answers and more certainty. The best way to do that would be to actually talk with whatever was causing the supernatural events in that bunker. And she knew just how to do that.
Jason turned off the radio after he dropped off Abe. His chest was practically bare after the slime had eaten through his jacket and shirt. He considered himself lucky that it hadn''t gotten through his pants. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he focused on the road. ''Get home first,'' he thought, ''then you can have an existential crisis.'' He pulled into the driveway and saw a note hanging on the door. As he got near he quickly scanned it and shrugged. Massive shipment of arms came in finally so his father and brother wouldn''t be home for awhile. Opening the door he stepped into the smell of roasting meat and the sounds of his mother cooking. "Hey darlin''!" He heard her shout from the kitchen. "Could you let Ramper out? I''m in the middle of somethin'' here!" Jason smiled, "I''ll get right on it mom!" Maybe Ramper would help him sort his thoughts out a bit. He whistled and called out the mogrul''s name as he made his way to the back door. Hearing the clattering of its claws on the hardwood, he couldn''t help but smile to himself as it came down the stairs and practically barreled through him as he opened the door. The brown-scaled mogrul leapt off the back porch and rolled around in the grass, its vertical jaws open and sloppy, tentacle-like tongue lolling out as Jason came over. He reached down and rubbed its belly, chuckling at the gurgling noise that came from it. Soon enough the stocky toret rolled over and got up to do its business. Jason watched it trot away, more to make sure it didn''t get snatched by something from the forest than actually paying attention to it. He kept trying not to think about the earlier events until he was alone. Seeing Ramper slowly cough up his business managed to stave the thoughts off though. He still couldn''t understand why they''d never developed an anus, it just seemed so much cleaner and far more efficient. Taking the mogrul to his washing bowl, the stout beast lapped the water up and rinsed out its jowls. Jason watched over it to make sure it didn''t somehow manage to hurt itself then brought it back inside and walked into his room. Finally he could go over the day in peace. He set his bag down and took his axe out. Looking over the tool he saw that the acid didn''t seem to effect it at all. The only remnant of what he''d done with it was a pink film over the head but otherwise it was the same as it was before he''d used it. No, he hadn''t ''used'' it. He''d wielded it. He''d killed with it. Sitting on his bed he stared at the somewhat shiny metal, trying to find his reflection through the film. Sure he''d killed other things before, but nothing larger than a mouse or fledgling falcon ray that close up. He''d taken out deer before, aurochs and hymerachna too, but he''d always shot at them from far away. But then again, were they alive? They certainly weren''t like anything he''d seen before in real life. Just giant sacs of slime held together by a membrane with no organs and only a weird crystal in the middle. He looked out the window at the forest. He''d lived out here his whole life, but things still kept surprising him. He''d always been more for the whole ''everything has a rational explanation'' line of thinking as long as it pertained to humans, but the wild was a whole different beast. There were different rules out there, he knew that by heart. You can only go so far beyond the borders that man had made before you started seeing things that made you question your sanity. He started thinking back on what he''d seen out here. Deer walking on their hind legs and braining themselves against trees just to lick at their own bloody scraps. Squirrels wearing vaasix corpses to get the drop on coyotes. A junda tree moving through roads and uprooting everything it passed to infest an abandoned cabin. Upon reflection he considered that just perhaps a bunch of living slime balls with crystal centers might not be the strangest thing he''d ever seen. He looked back at his hatchet. He needed to clean it off. Just because the film wasn''t doing anything didn''t mean he could be lazy and just leave it there. As he stood up he felt the air brush against his chest and realized he''d probably better change clothes too. As he went to do so, he cast another glance towards the forest. Maybe going back there wouldn''t be such a bad idea if he was better prepared.
Ross was in a daze. Not a good one though. He knew he was on the verge of freaking out and kept taking deep, slow breaths all the way back to his house. He knew Morgan was trying to talk to him but he just didn''t have it in him to contribute anything. Before he knew it he was being dropped off and walking up to his front door. He opened it to the smell of patchouli, frankincense, and hemp. The scents disrupting his mental fog for a second he called out to see who was home. He heard his father in the living room and decided it would be best to talk to him before he did anything. "Hey dad," he said as he pushed aside a bead curtain and entered the room. "Hey there kiddo," his dad responded from his spot on the floor, one leg tucked behind his head and the other bent to keep him steady. "Oh uh I can come back if you''re deep in." "Nonsense," his dad smiled and slowly brought his leg down to sit in the lotus position, "what''s on your mind?" "Well... I had a bit of an experience and I''m about to freak out." "Hmmm I''ve been there, mind telling me what''s going on?" Ross sighed and sat down across from him, slowly stretching out and getting into a lotus himself. He began to slowly unload on his dad, telling him about his day at school and eventually getting to the bunker. Ross hesitated at first, unsure of how much to tell him, but soon figured that he''d get better help if he came clean. With a deep breath he told his father everything. To his credit, his father listened intently and asked questions for clarity. Once Ross was done the two sat in silence for a few minutes, his dad thinking over the information. Eventually his dad started stretching again and smiled. "Son," he said lightly, "I think we''re both too sober for this." Ross just chuckled and nodded, "I''m gonna have to agree with that." His father nodded, "but I also don''t think getting high is going to help." Ross gave him a puzzled look and went to ask a question but was cut off, "and no, tripping isn''t going to help either. What you need to do is go out back after dark, light some candles, and meditate. The answer on what you should do will come to you then." The young stoner looked at the older hippie with a look of annoyance. His own father wasn''t even going to try to help him with this? He knew he shouldn''t have told him. While he felt better about it, that didn''t change the fact that he still had no idea what to do. Picking up on his son''s disappointment, the elder laughed. "Son," he said, mirth evident in his voice, "just because I''ve been around the block a few times doesn''t mean I know everything." Ross had to concede that. Just as he was about to say something he was once again cut off. "Besides, I have a feeling you already know what you need to do," the hippie winked, "I mean... An opportunity like this doesn''t just happen every day. "Opportunity?" Now Ross was just confused and the sly wording his father was using started to weird him out. "Of course. What else would you call it? An impossible location with strange beings and weird happenings? Those don''t just appear for no reason." Ross nodded. He was right. Things like this don''t just happen for no reason. Whether it was the intervention of a god, spirit, or something else, there was a reason for this to happen. He didn''t know what he needed to do yet, but he had an idea. Thanking his father, he left the room and did his homework while waiting until nightfall. He would do what his dad had recommended and see what conclusions he''d come to.
Marie Walker Stats -Strength - 2 -Intelligence - 5 -Nimbleness - 4 -Acumen - 3 -Physique - 3 -Synchronicity - 3 -Empathy - 3 Skills -Brawl 2, Dodge 3, Intimidate 2, Acrobatics 3, Sleight of Hand 2, Swim 3, Appraise 2, Gather Information 3, Knowledge (AP High School, varied, Chemistry) 4, Technology 2, Chemistry 4 Equipment -Purse, Wallet, Keys, Backpack, Phone, Flashlight, Whistle, Notebook, Pens, Pencils, Textbooks, Folders, Papers, Apple, Sci-fi Novel. Description -Short Ginger Dafinu with button nose and curly hair, skinny but not underweight. Wears plain shirts, long skirts, and flats. -Born to a lower class family, she never really had a lot as a kid. She discovered her love of science and chemistry early on when her family bought her a science kit and started learning all she could. In school she worked hard and aced her classes, got into the final 3 at the spelling bee, and was always at or near the top of the class, but never really had many friends as she was too focused on her studies. She took AP classes in high school and joined the CnC club seeking some companionship and a break from her nonstop studying only to be surprised that one of her AP classmates, George, joined as well. Has never been in a relationship because her studies were more important -Introverted and studious, always turns in homework and aces every test. Great at chemistry, and has been paid to make chemical items for troublemakers before, though she denies it. Awkward around new people but very outspoken and opinionated when around friends. A1C6 - Second Run: Part One The following few days seemed to fly by. The two groups barely interacted with each other and kept to themselves as they had before their meeting at the bunker. During lunch at the end of the week the subject was finally brought up. "Speaking of dungeons," Abe said after swallowing a mouthful of sandwich in an attempted segue, "we really should go back to the bunker." All heads turned to him and the others eyed him warily. George was the first to speak. "Are you nuts?" he said with a flat tone. Abe shook his head, "no, I''m not nuts. If we''re better prepared then hopefully we''ll be able to find out more and discover exactly what''s going on." George looked at him like he''d grown a second head, "you can''t just say ''I''m not nuts'' and then say something like that." "He''s right," Marie sighed and all eyes turned on her. "What do you mean he''s right?" George asked bewildered at the statement. "I mean he''s right," she reiterated, "I have a lot of questions that need answering and the only way I''m going to get any headway on them would be to go back and get some samples." George let out a breathy laugh and looked at Jason for support, "you don''t agree with them, do you?" The quiet hunter just swallowed what he was chewing and shrugged, "I wouldn''t mind giving it another crack. Besides, I kinda wanna see what those three saw. Randy *did* bring back fresh grass..." The quarterback held his head in his hands and groaned. He was outnumbered, but that didn''t mean he was okay with it. He looked up at the geek who''d just taken another bite of his sandwich and sighed. "When you say ''better prepared,'' what exactly do you mean?" the blond asked in an even tone attempting to hide his discomfort with the idea. After a second of chewing and thinking, Abe swallowed and responded simply. "Better prepared. More water, actual weapons, ways to possibly defend ourselves from the slime, and ways to take and record what we need." "Yeah, like a good weapon is easy to get," George rolled his eyes as he said it and instantly felt all eyes on him. "I''ve got two firearms, a BB pistol, and a wood axe," said Jason. "I have a ton of fireworks, caltrop dice, stun gun, a good water gun, and can easily make a shitty flamethrower," offered Abe. "I also have some fireworks and can easily get some bases and acids to use for throwing flasks, plus some water balloons and a flare gun," piped up Marie, not wanting to be left out. George stared at them with his mouth open. He''d genuinely never considered they could have those things, or that most of them could be used as actual weapons. The guns and axe he''d thought of, but hadn''t thought of fireworks or even- "Wait, did you say you could *make* a flamethrower?" George asked Abe a little too loudly. Abe glanced up and met the gaze of Jesse before the two looked away, "keep your voice down, but yeah it''s not that hard. The difficult part is it not exploding or catching itself on fire, but I know how to stop that." The tired look George had on his face didn''t mix with the words that came out of his mouth, "all I''ve got is the bat and that''s useless against the slimes." Jason chuckled and patted him on the back, "just hammer some nails through it. Give it some spikes. That''ll probably work on them." George slowly turned to look at the smiling hunter, concern obvious on his features. Lunch ended shortly thereafter and the four split up to go their separate ways. George, now seeing that he wasn''t going to be able to talk the rest of them out of it, decided he''d better figure out what he needed and how to get it.
About half a week later the group met up for their usual CnC game but carried larger packs than normal. After loading up in the trucks, they made their way to the bunker instead of George''s house. A few minutes later, the group had arrived before the ominous opening and started gearing up. George strapped on his plastic rumble gear over his shirt and pants, donned his shield, and picked up his newly spiked bat. Abe pulled a blue robe on over his shorts and shirt, the inside as well as the belt loaded with pockets, held a long pole with a camping lantern strapped to it with the option to keep the stick on his back thanks to some hastily sewn rings, and strapped both his stungun as well as his DIY flamethrower (small butane torch, cut wood, and flammable spray) to the belt of the robe. Marie donned some goggles, long elbow-length white latex gloves, and a brown apron with tons of recently sewn pockets used to hold a variety of items over her yellow blouse and long black skirt. Jason didn''t really need to put on anything else, just shouldered his rifle, holstered his BB pistol, and kept his reserve ammo in his backpack. Once everyone was seemingly ready, Jason started to head in the rest and followed him inside. As they passed through the entrance, everything seemed the same. The place was still unnaturally clean, the lighting was practically nonexistent save for Abe''s lantern, and the statue of Patricia hadn''t moved an inch. It was only after they''d moved a little more in that they noticed something. "Uhhhh that wasn''t there the last time, right?" asked Abe as he saw the large pool of slime in the center of the next room. "No, that uh wasn''t there," George frowned and readied his bat and shield, not liking what he was seeing. The group watched as Abe unhooked the lantern and gave it to Jason. The hunter held the lantern high as the geek tapped the lip of the pink pool. The entire mass rippled and soon three blobs emerged, sliding over the ledge and towards the group. The four seemed to move as one, backing up from the archway and getting into position for a fight. George stepped in front with Abe and Marie behind while Jason took the rear, handing the lantern off to Abe as he moved past. The robed geek reattached the lantern and put it on his back as the slimes engaged the group. The first leapt at George but was intercepted by his shield, bouncing harmlessly off the crystal. Marie pulled out a lighter and cherry bomb, quickly lighting and throwing it at the slimes in the back. She managed to get it to stick to one of the small blobs and, just as it slipped past George to get to her, the explosive went off and popped it. The pink slime splattered out around it, but that didn''t seem to get the notice of anyone as the third slime leapt at Abe. Jason had the quicker finger though, managing to put a BB through it and ending it right there and then, the metal ball ricocheting away from the party and landing in the slime pool. The last slime started to move back but George wasn''t having any of it and quickly brought down his bat on the thing. The battle was over faster than anyone had imagined it would have been. The three slimes they''d fought there before were done with, but who knows what was waiting for them in that pool. Abe walked back out and grabbed a long stick, not wanting to see his pole dissolve, before heading back in and stirring the pool with the fallen branch. Despite stirring it for what felt like a few minutes, the stick didn''t seem to be harmed and nothing jumped out at them. Seeing that the room was safe, Marie knelt down and took out a vial from one of her pockets. Slowly and carefully, she dipped the glass jar into the pool to retrieve a small sample. Once the vial was sealed, a flash of light from the previous room caught their attention. Jason decided to investigate and found some scraps of very fine silk where each of the slimes had died along with a single crystal that resembled the ones in the slimes. He showed the group and they all exchanged glances. "Where did that come from?" asked Marie, gently picking up the crystal. "I have no idea," Jason said, his voice flat, "but considering they were in the same spots the slimes died in..." George chuckled, "are you suggesting they dropped loot?" "Do you have a better suggestion?" the hunter looked at the smiling quarterback "Not really no, but it''s still kinda funny." Jason stowed the items and the group continued on into the complex. Nothing seemed to have changed in the slippery room, and they removed the slimes within just as quickly as they had in the previous room. As the group was about to open the ornate door, flashes of soft pink light caught their eyes. Turning to look, they saw a few crystals and some silk fabric scraps materialize from the pink lights above the slime splatters. Looks were exchanged as Jason once again grabbed and stowed the items. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The group entered through the ornate door and once again found themselves in the home of the giant slime. They moved into a rough formation as the slime pool heaved upwards to allow the slime queen to form. The giant slime turned to the group and threw its hand forward, being blocked and deflected by George''s shield. Two little slimes jumped out of the pool as the fight started, only to be quickly taken out by Jason''s BB and Abe''s firecracker. Marie tossed out a lit cherry bomb and blew a hole in the trunk of the giant slime. The huge creature fell no differently than a tree, collapsing before it could reform. The party advanced forwards as Marie and Abe pelted the pink mass with mini explosives. The bright red core was quickly exposed and Jason put a large crack in it with his BB pistol. George, seeing the opening, brought his bat down on the core and shattered it. The huge slime desperately attempted to defend itself from the onslaught, but the explosives kept it from forming any sort of real resistance before it was defeated. Just as before, the pink mass lost its form and spread out with no control. The party waited for a second, anticipating the appearance of the light. Sure enough, the light emerged from the pool and transformed into a weapon and belt which then drifted down next to the pool and landed in the slime. A strange gun-like weapon made mostly of clear crystal with a hose attached to a belt holding two connected tanks full of pink liquid. Using the branch, Marie fished it out of the puddle of slime. Rinsing it off with a little bit of water, she carefully inspected the soaker-like weapon. She could make out the internal structure of the gun due to the mechanisms inside having different colors. Looking it over, she noticed two dials on one side that had entirely different markings. The first had basic shapes: a line, a wedge, a half circle, and a cone. The second had a set of symbols: a shield, a t-shirt, a paw print, a leaf, a water droplet, and a mushroom.
The group stepped out onto a trailhead, the wide open sky boxed in by towering trees lightly swaying in the soft breeze. The packed dirt crunched beneath their feet and the grass muffled their footsteps as they moved slowly into this new area. Looking back they could see the archway of the stairwell appearing in the place of a park gate as though a window was cut in space while before them was a straight path deeper into the forest. The late afternoon sunlight streamed through the trees and dappled across the tree trunks. The group couldn''t help but stare in awe. "Holy..." started George. "Shit..." Marie finished. "Is this?... Are we?..." Abe asked but couldn''t get the thought out as a question, "There''s no way we''re still in the bunker." Jason glanced at the shorter geek, "I don''t hear any birds or insects, so I doubt we''re outside." "Besides," added George, "we went deeper into the earth. How would that lead to an above ground park?" Abe had to agree with that and stowed his lantern. Sharing a few looks, the group headed forwards on the trail before them. After a minute of walking they came to an intersection with three paths ahead of them. One each to the left, right, and center. Standing at the crossroads they had to make a decision. "So we have three ways," Marie said thoughtfully, "which is the right one?" "Good adventurers go left," Abe remarked, taking the pole off of his back. "Any objections?" Marie asked and saw the other two shake their heads, "alright, guess we''re going left then." The party follows the left-handed trail as Abe checked for any possible traps with the pole but found nothing. Soon enough they came upon a large clearing and saw smooth logs set up in a rough pentagon around a stone fire pit in the center. A pile of firewood rested near one of the logs, but far enough away from the fire pit to not be a risk during use. While the area around the fire pit and log benches was packed dirt like the trail the rest of the clearing was covered in grass, the trees making a seemingly impermeable wall around the small campground. The trail continued on past the area but the group couldn''t help but rest for a moment. Sitting down on the logs, they each began to do something. Abe pulled out his CnC notebook and made a quick, if basic, sketch of the second level so far. George took a drink of water and ate part of a granola bar. Jason refilled his BB gun and distributed earplugs to the rest of the party, which they take after glancing at the rifle slung over his back. Marie decideed to fiddle with the gun she''d acquired and, after a lot of pondering, decided it''d be best to just keep it on base settings for the first test. "Hey Abe," she looked over at the man scribbling in his notebook, "you have anything to spare that I could test this on? All my stuff might have... side effects." Abe glanced up at her and nodded, tossing her a bag of caltrop dice. She thanked him and took one out. She placed the four-sided die on the ground a little bit behind the log, pumped the gun, aimed, and squeezed the trigger. A stream of pink sliquid, not unlike the kind the slimes produced, shot out of the nozzle and covered the die. She watched it dissolve in moments and the squeak of alarm she absentmindedly let out made all eyes lock on her. "What just happened?" George asked. "This... Gun! It shoots the slime!" Marie was ecstatic, she might not need to collect more slime experiments now that she had this. "Hold up, what do you mean it ''shoots the slime?''" Jason asked, looking between her and the weapon. Marie smiled and put down a die near the fire pit. She rechecked the settings, pumped, aimed, and squeezed. Slime streamed from the gun and coated the die and the surrounding area, melting the die in slightly over a second. The rest of the party watched with mixed reactions. "Did... did it always dissolve things other than clothes?" George asked concerned. "It has multiple settings," Marie said as she angled the gun to show off the dials, "I''m not sure what they all are, but the shapes remind me of the ones on hose nozzles so I''m thinking they could be different methods of shooting." "And the symbols?" Jason asked as he pointed at the other dial. "I''m not really sure," Marie admitted "but since the dial is set to the shield and it destroyed the dice, I''m willing to assume that it''s the type of material or something that it can effect." "That''d make sense," George added, "might as well test it out on another die." Marie nodded and set up another die then changed the dial from the shield to the shirt and shot at the die. It covered the die but nothing seemed to happen. George ripped off a piece of his shirt and dipped it in the puddle where the previous die was, watching as nothing happened. He dropped it onto the newly covered die and it dissolved completely. The group stared at the gun and come to a simple conclusion. Something was keeping the slimes from harming them. With that realization settling in, the group decided to get up and continue following the trail. Leaving behind the little campsite, they found themselves coming upon a few large ponds with steam rising from them separated by bamboo walls. A small pink slime bounced out of one of the ponds, but before it could notice the party it was popped by Jason shooting it with a BB. The rest of the party glanced back at him and he just shrugged and moved forwards. After testing the water with a stick first, he motioned for Marie to come closer. "What is it?" she asked hesitantly. "It looks to be a hot spring, but I don''t know if it''s dangerous or not." "Oh!" she lit up and quickly brought out a couple of vials, "I have some test strips back at my house just for this." She took samples of the water as Jason rejoined the group. "So what do you guys think?" Abe asked, sketching the new area in his notebook. "Well the trail seems to stop here," George replied, "so we should probably head back." Jason nodded, "yeah, but should we leave or check out another one of the trails?" "I think it''d be best that we check out at least one more trail," Marie said as she returned with her vials of water. The rest of the group nodded and quickly made their way back to the trailhead. Following Abe''s previous advice, the group followed the next trail. As they crested a small hill they came upon a lake. Moving to the shore they could see fish swimming in the crystal clear water. Jason whistled and shook his head. "Really wish I had my tackle box right now," he said simply. "I wish I had my bathing suit," Marie agreed. George and Abe shared a glance before the two wandered off for a second, returning with a few rocks. Not a word was shared between the two as they began to skip and chuck the rocks into the lake enjoying the simple fun of the act. Soon enough the group returned to the trailhead and made their way back out, going back to the dark bunker through the staircase. The group loaded up into the trucks and returned to town, the drive back buzzing from the experience.
Morgan Strong Stats -Strength - 3 -Intelligence - 4 -Nimbleness - 3 -Acumen - 4 -Physique - 3 -Synchronicity - 2 -Empathy - 4 Skills -Dodge 2, Gathering 2, Sleight of Hand 1, Stealth 2, Weaponry 2, Bluff 3, Haggling 3, Knowledge (High School, Religion, Varied) 3, Navigation 2, Perception 2, Sense Motive 3, Technology 2, Agriculture 1, Build (wood) 1, Craft (religious) 1, Medical 2, Forbidden Knowledge (Gods, Planes, Spirits, Primordials) 1, Poisons 2 Equipment --Phone, Wallet, Backpack, Keys, Notebook, Pens, Pencils, Textbooks, Folders, Papers, Snack, Theban Tome, Grimoire, Dagger, Chalk, Pendant Necklace, Worry Stone, Chakra Crystal. Description -Lithe, Pale, Long Brown Hair, Green Eyes, Juki (Father is Keprin, Mother is Remik). Wears skinny jeans, dark fantasy tees, a pentacle necklace, light gothic makeup, and boots. -Born to a lower class family, she was raised as a semi-sheltered cultural jubilant but her family switched temples and sects multiple times. She never really felt that connected to the religion and was more focused on drama at school. She had a normal childhood and stumbled onto the idea of other faiths during early middle school. This led her down a research rabbit hole that ended up with her using her allowance to buy various books on religions, faiths, grimoires, ritual tools, and the like. Her family thought it was strange, but let her find herself. One night, during a divination ritual she had a deep revelation and began her own investigation through meditation and rituals, adding her findings to her Theban Tome. -Quiet, aloof, pensive, and curious. Has managed to learn shattering realizations that changed her worldview and now is willing to consider strange possibilities A1C7 - Second Run: Part Two Jesse drifted through school like normal, not really paying attention. He once again thought back to the weird thing that George had said yesterday. Why would they be talking about making flamethrowers and why would he be surprised? Had he never taken a can of deodorant and sprayed it with a lighter before? His train of thought was derailed by the bell for lunch. Meeting up with his friends in the cafeteria they quickly got their lunch gruel and sat down at a bench. He had to admit that the food wasn''t really all that bad, but it was pretty bland. Not long after they sat down the bench behind them filled up. Although he wasn''t trying to, he caught small snippets of the conversation they were having. Quickly enough he realized who was sitting behind him. "I''m just bummed I didn''t use my flamethrower," said the first familiar voice. "At least you didn''t need the earplugs I had," said the second. "I''m still surprised how useful a few nails were against them," said the third. "That slime gun was a godsend. Now I''ve got enough to do all sorts of tests with" the fourth one added too loudly. There was no way that wasn''t those normies they met with the other day. Wait, hold on, slime gun? Nails were useful against something? They didn''t... Jesse leaned in to interrupt the small talk happening between his friends, "we need to go back to that hole in the ground." "The bunker?" asked Devon just before cleaning off his fork. Jesse nodded, "I just overheard the others and it sounds like they went in deeper and got some stuff." "You actually wanna go back there?" Randy looked at him like he''d gone nuts. "Well why not?" asked Morgan, taking Jesse''s side, "you saw what was down there. Imagine what kind of stuff could be inside that forest." "I still can''t wrap my head around it," added Devon, shaking his head, "like that''s the kind of thing you hear about in stories." Ross nodded, "but most stories, especially folk tales and legends, have some grain of truth to them. I think we should go back too. Besides, what''s the worst that could happen?" Randy looked at the stoner with annoyance in his eyes, "we could die." "Well yeah, but you could also die in a fight and I don''t see you shying away from that." After about a minute of uncomfortable silence, Devon spoke up. "So are we going or not?" "If we are," Jesse said, "and I do stress ''if'', we need to be better prepared than last time." "Prepared how?" Randy asked with a drawl as he stuffed a stale roll into his mouth. "Weapons, protection, water, the works." "I think I can do that," Morgan said. "I can to," Randy added though the full mouth, "though ya''ll are gonna have to pick up some slack after last time." "I''ve got it covered," said Devon with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "No problems here," Ross threw in before tipping his tray to finish his soup. Jesse finished off his milk, "How''s tomorrow sound?" A round of nods and murmurs of approval sounded out and the group began planning what they were going to take. Jesse leaned back and tried to eavesdrop on the other group, but wasn''t able to really glean much info.
The rest of the day and the following one went by fairly fast. The group members made their ways home, gathered their items, then met up and made their way to the bunker. The ride there was tense, but uneventful and thankfully quickly. As they piled out of the vehicles they began to equip what they''d brought with them. Jesse had brought a cloak with a cowl and wore it with his satchel bag full of rope, chain, cherry bombs, smoke bombs, marbles, and other useful items slung beneath, his crystalline club acting as a cane. Devon didn''t really have anything extra to wear other than a back harness, instead slipping on some brass knuckles, holstering a makeshift flamethrower, and putting a worn derbyball bat into the sling harness. Morgan decided to show off and wore a ren fair dress with a cloak, a satchel bag hung off of her filled with all sorts of possibly useful occult tools, and she held the dagger she''d previously used. Randy wore what he''d worn to school with an extra layer of clothes underneath just in case, with a wide variety of weapons and items in his backpack, a holstered pistol, pocketed flare gun, and ready switchblade fairly obvious to anyone who cared to look at him. Ross, like a few of the others, didn''t put anything new on, just brought a variety of possibly useful items and some items that wouldn''t be useful to really anyone but him alongside his trusty Bowie knife which was kept sheathed and attached to his belt. As the group headed in, Randy and Ross gave them all earplugs and headlamps and one by one they were equipped. The entrance room was just as they''d remembered it. The too clean floor, the statue of the young woman, the gray drabness of it all. Their lights turned on one after another as they spread into the room and quickly the change was spotted. "Woah slime pool?" Devon said in slight confusion as his beam pierced the darkness of the next room. Without even waiting for anyone else to say anything, Randy pulled out an m80, lit it, and threw it into the pool. Almost instantly part of the room was splattered in pink goop and two slimes slid out to deal with the attackers. Wasting no time, Jesse darted forwards and whacked one slime with such force that it shot towards a wall and exploded on impact. Ross was next on offense, his knife tearing apart the small blob like it was made of warm butter. The battle was over so quickly that it stunned the group members. These were creatures that had, in the last battle, caused them all manner of problems. In the time it took for them to gather their wits, three flashes of purple-pink light erupted across the two rooms. In each of the places where the light shone, a scrap of silk cloth and a small pink crystal sat. The two in the entrance room were where the slimes had been slain, but as the other room was lit up it appeared that the items within it were laid beside the pool near where the firecracker had gone off. The five friends all exchanged glances and gathered up the materials, silently agreeing to discuss this later. The group then moved into the partially slimed room, taking care not to get the slime on them as they had before. Deciding it would be a terrible idea to charge blindly into the next room in case it had changed like this one had, Randy pulled out his pistol and took out one of the slimes before it noticed them. The second slime, alerted by the loud noise (both from the gun and the ricocheting bullet) and flash of light instantly slid towards Randy, getting putted like a golf ball into the opposite wall by Jesse the second it crossed the archway. Once again the light flared and once again scraps of silken cloth appeared at the death sites of the slimes. The group slowly made their way across the room, being careful of the slick floor, to gather the fabric and enter the ornate door once again.
"Oh!" It was all that Ross could get out. He and Jesse had heard what Devon, Morgan, and Randy had said. Boundless sky, dense forest, lush grass, a park fence, and a dirt trail leading deeper in. And it was now standing before them all, some for the first time. Looking around, the small group headed onward and immediately found themselves at a crossroads. As the rest of the group discussed where to go, Ross wandered off down the left handed path. He discovered a campground and after a quick look around returned to the group. "Hey!" Ross says getting everyone''s attention, "there''s a campsite down this path." "Did you really just walk down there to check it out?" asked Jesse, obviously annoyed. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "Well, ya''ll were taking too long, besides it doesn''t look like there''s anything interesting there anyways." "You could have been ambushed," chided Randy. Ross nodded, "could have, but wasn''t. Besides no one''s been hurt yet. Now are we taking the center path or the right path?" They all looked at each other indecisively until Morgan spoke up, "it''d probably be easier to keep track of it all if we just went clockwise." After some nods of agreement, they then headed down the center path. Not long after a lake came into view, its'' crystal clear waters shining in the sunlight. The group was mesmerized by the sight for a few seconds before moving down to the shore. Kneeling down, Morgan went to reach a hand in but Devon stopped her by pulling her back by the shoulder. "What are you doing?!" he asks the witch in alarm. "Checking the temperature of the water," she replies as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "What if it''s dangerous?" "Do you see that?" she points further out into the water where a school of fish can be seen, "if it was that dangerous, they wouldn''t be alive." "Actually," Jesse chimes in, "Devon''s in the right here. Just because they''re not affected doesn''t mean you won''t be. How many diseases that affect us don''t affect fish even if they''re swimming in it?" Morgan glares at him then sighs. As she stands up and brushes her dress off, she notices Randy and Ross waving from a little ways away. After motioning to the two men beside her, they all approached to see what was up. As they got closer they noticed a small trail that was disconnected from the one that led them to the lake. It seemed to follow the lake shore for quite a ways then turned off into the treeline. Randy just shook his head, "Whatever is over there isn''t worth it." "We''ll never know until we look," Ross argued then looked to the three approaching members, "what do you think?" "Well..." Devon started, eyeing the path, "we came all the way down here so we might as well check it out." "Plus we might find something that could tell us what the hell is going on," added Jesse. Morgan clapped the short thug on the back and smiled sweetly, "Come on Randy, lighten up. We''re in a beautiful park with an open sky deep underground hidden behind a staircase guarded by slime monsters. What''s the worst that could happen?" If Randy''s looks could kill, Morgan would be dead. The thug huffed and rolled his eyes before gesturing to the trail. The rest of the group laughed and went in front of him. The trail wasn''t all that long anyways. It followed the lake and after about a minute of walking curved away to follow a small river that fed into the lake. As they moved along the riverside, they heard a soft rumbling noise that progressively grew louder. The trail lead them to a large waterfall that emptied into a wide, but not too deep, basin which then flowed into the river. The sight was beautiful and the very air seemed rejuvenating and electric. The group took in the sight and could practically feel the stress from the day melting away. After about a minute of bathing in the fresh, soothing air Devon caught a glimpse of something and broke away from the group. The only one who saw him go was Randy, but he didn''t really feel like going after him. Devon moved towards the waterfall across the grass, the path ended not long after reaching the basin. He had noticed what appeared to be flat rocks that resembled a small staircase and, to his growing interest, it seemed like there was actually a rough walkway cut into the stone behind the waterfall. He slowly made his way up the wide steps and along the stable, if damp, walkway leading him behind the cascading water. The wall beside him wasn''t smooth but there was enough space for him to move without scraping himself. Shortly he found himself face to face with an archway carved into the rock wall and, without hesitation, moved inside. Inside of the archway was a dim stone room, the air heady with the scent of flowing water and the soft roaring sound of the cascade right outside the door. The young metalhead turned off the headlamp he''d forgotten was still on and sat down in the middle of the room. It was so serene, so peaceful here. He closed his eyes and took it all in, the stress of the day fading into the rock beneath him. He wasn''t able to stay for long though as he just barely heard his name being called over the din of the waterfall. Making his way back out, he found his friends had noticed his absence. "Where the hell did you go?" asked Jesse, tense after noticing that once again someone had gone missing. "I thought I saw a path an went to investigate," Devon said pointing at the camouflaged stairs, "there''s a walkway there that leads to a room behind the waterfall. Pretty chill if I can say so." "How big is the room?" asked Ross as he eyed the stairs. "Not too big, we could all probably fit inside with maybe room for one more but it''d be real tight in there" Devon answered to his best approximation. The stoner hummed and nodded then made his way over to the stairs, quickly finding the walkway and disappearing out of sight. He wasn''t gone too long and walked out with an appreciable smirk on his face. He was clearly thinking about using it for something but that was talk for later, only mentioning that the air inside was crisp in a strange way. Randy and Jesse were both raring to finish exploring the place so everyone made their way back out to the lake and soon to the crossroads. The group then made their way onto the final trail and began to suspect something might be off. As they walked down the trail the tree line became slowly denser and the canopy blocked out more and more light. Eventually they all turned their headlamps on again, the twilight playing tricks on their vision. Soon the trail split again with two paths leading off to the sides and the path they were on continuing past. With no real way to figure out which way to go, they followed their logic from earlier and took the left path first but quickly found that it just curved around into a dead end. On attempting to return to the intersection they noticed movement up ahead and froze. Unsheathing their weapons, they began to ready themselves for everything when a deer slowly walked across the entrance to the side trail they were on. The deer was large with fur that seemed oddly plush and dense when compared to the normal, pink eyes and hooves, fuzzy antlers despite the late season, and strange shiny cactus-like thorns emerging from its antlers. It stopped when the beams of their headlamps crossed its path and it quickly turned to face the group, letting out a braying call as it did so. The group froze up when it charged, the strange metallic thorns glinting in the lamplight as it moved. It was fast and they didn''t have much space to maneuver. The group split apart, some diving out of the way and others backing around the corner of the trail in an attempt to break line of sight. Jesse wasn''t quite quick enough and the antlers slashed through his shirt, leaving two scratches across his shoulder that slowly oozed blood. Randy fired off a shot with his pistol and caught the deer in the shoulder. It brayed and swung its antlers at him, ruining yet two more of his shirts and leaving an array of light scratches across his now bare chest. Devon leapt from around the corner and swung his bat at the strange stag, missing it entirely because he overestimated how far he''d moved. Ross and Morgan tried to find a way out through the trees but they were too thick to squeeze past and even if they''d gotten through them there was no way for them to move any more quickly past the row behind those. This truly was a dead end. Jesse jumped up and swung his cane into the things backside, managing to force it to move or fall. In response, the deer kicked the goth and sent him flying into the other side trail where he landed on his back with a groan of pain. Randy shot again, this time sinking a bullet into the hindquarters of the strange deer and once again gaining its attention. Devon decided it would probably be for the best to take the opening and dashed around the creature, making his way over to tend to his friend. Morgan was watching the scene with both shock and dread when Ross made a strange noise behind her. Turning around she saw him being lifted up off of the ground by some strange vine that had wrapped around his neck and chest. She screamed and attempted to pull him away but all that seemed to do was tighten the grip the strange vine had on her friend. Hearing Randy scream in pain left her torn but she soon felt malevolent eyes on her and turned to see the deer staring directly into her eyes. With a shrill sound she didn''t even know she could make she swung her dagger at the deer, actually managing to take out one of its eyes, and dove to avoid its raking antlers. She ran to the rest of her friends with tears in her eyes, blubbering about a vine and Ross. The group was in pain and fairly worse for wear as they watched the deer with now bloody antlers stalk towards them out of the trail. Against their best wishes they fled from the deer, leaving their friend behind.
<"NO!" the phantom cried as the four sprinted away, her outburst startling the deer.>
The remaining group made it to the staircase in a panic, barely making it to the landing before collapsing in on themselves. "Oh my god-oh my god-oh my god-oh my god-oh my god what are we gonna do?" asked Jesse as he started to spiral. "We just left him there!" yelled Devon, looking at his hands like he''d killed a man. Morgan just cried into her hands while Randy slowly rubbed her back, his stare practically drilling a hole into the stone block across from him. The group stayed like this for what felt like forever but was probably nothing more than a minute or two when they heard a noise from below. One by one they turned to see the deer scratching the entrance to the staircae with its antlers in an attempt to get their attention. The whole group was silent, not a single muscle twitched as they stared in fear at the thorny deer. With an apologetic bray the deer knelt down and tilted to the side, the limp body of their friend sliding off onto the grass. The group stared wide-eyed at the display. The deer slowly moved backwards out of sight and only then did any of them move. Morgan slowly made her way down the stairs and, after checking that the deer was gone, moved to the body of her friend. With bated breath she checked his neck and found a pulse. Not a moment later she was sobbing into his chest, holding him close and feeling the rise and fall from his slow unconscious breathing mixed with the steady beating of his heart. One by one the rest moved down to find out whether or not he had truly died. The rest of the group was solemn as they waited for Morgan to tell them the verdict. After a few minutes she stopped crying and reached into her bag for a water bottle, cracked it open, and dumped it on the sleeping stoner. Almost immediately he awoke in a panic and took a deep, gasping breath, his hands searching his neck and chest for the vine that had snatched him. The rest of the group moved back in shock at having just witnessed their friend apparently return from the dead. Not wanting to waste any more time or get more of them hurt, Randy yelled to get everyone''s attention and made his way back up the stairs. The remaining group exchanged glances then, after helping Ross back up, made their way out of the bunker.
Jason McDougal Stats -Strength - 3 -Intelligence - 4 -Nimbleness - 3 -Acumen - 4 -Physique - 3 -Synchronicity - 4 -Empathy - 4 Skills -Brawl 3, Dodge 3, Gathering 2, Hunting 3, Survival 3, Climb 2, Ballistics 4, Disguise 3, Driving 3, Stealth 3, Swim 2, Weaponry 2, Knowledge (guns, wild) 3, Navigation 3, Perception 4, Sense Motive 4, Technology 2, Animal Handling 4, Build (wood) 3, Craft (Hunting) 3, Disable Item 2, Medical 2 Equipment -Phone, Wallet, Backpack, Keys, Camera, Notebook, Pens, Pencils, Textbooks, Folders, Papers, Wood Axe, Survival Kit, First Aid Kit, Lighter, Matches, Rope, Flashlight, Mechanic Kit, Tire Iron, Battery Starter, Gas Can, Swiss Army Knife, Multitool, Jerky, Sketchbook. Description -Tanned, lean, and sure in his movements. Short Brown hair, green eyes, light stubble, Keprin. Wears varied shirts, jeans, a camo jacket, and boots. -Born to a lower middle class rural family he was taught survival skills early on and often went hunting with his father and older brother. He got into strategy games around middle school and would often go head to head with the geeks in card games and chess due to him having the best poker face in his family. Learned a lot about guns through his dad''s gun shop and occasionally picks up shifts in the back doing inventory and learning about the various guns in stock. Joined the CnC club in high school after Abe, one of his card game buddies, mentioned he was starting one because it sounded interesting. He''s had one girlfriend but it ended on bad terms due to her not realizing what hunting meant. -Laid back and kind, the type of person to go with the flow but help out a struggling person just cause he can. Extremely alert and wary around certain people and in certain environments. Healthy respect for nature and may have a bit of a chip on his shoulder about it. A1C8 - The Meeting The final bell rang and Devon met up with his friends at the back of the school. The group had a plan and needed numbers to pull it off successfully. They waited around the corner to the entrance and watched the students pour out. Soon the flow reduced to a trickle and they could hear their quarry talking just inside the hallway. As soon as their targets stepped out of the door they were surrounded and escorted away form prying eyes and ears. The four were brought behind the gym shed with a surprising level of willingness before their captors began. Jesse locked eyes with the slightly shorter geek, "when did you go back?" "Go back?" Abe asked as he glanced away, clearly knowing what the goth meant. "I overheard you guys talking about it the other day," Jesse continued, attempting to regain eye contact, "flamethrowers, nails, earplugs, slime gun. Ringing any bells?" George and Jason looked at each other and the quarterback sighed, "we went back a few days ago with more supplies." "We breezed through the first floor and explored a bit of the second but didn''t really find much besides some interesting places," Jason finished. "What did you find?" asked Randy as he subconsciously scratched his chest. "Not much..." added Marie, "a campground, hot springs, and a lake. And came to a very um interesting conclusion." "Hot springs?" Jesse asked as he felt his chest grow sore as the thought, "Where did you find that?" "It was past the campsite," said Jason as he noted the wince in the shorter man''s voice, "there looked to be a single slime guarding it but according to Marie the water''s safe to use." Morgan turned to Ross, "I thought you said there wasn''t anything over there." Ross shrugged and responded in a slightly raspy voice, "I didn''t notice anything like that, maybe the trail continued on where I couldn''t see it?" "Yeah yeah that''s nice and all," Devon interjected with narrowed eyes, "but what conclusion did you come to?" The four looked between each other and Marie cleared her throat, "it was after I got my slime gun from the giant slime. I was testing out the various settings and found that I could change what the slime would melt by switching the symbol one of the dials pointed to. The symbols were a shield, a t-shirt, a paw print, a leaf, a water droplet, and a mushroom. We tested it on some spare dice we had and a scrap of George''s shirt. The shield setting would melt the die but not the shirt the the shirt was the opposite. We didn''t test the others but it was kind of obvious what they would do." "And that means... What exactly?" Randy asked with a cocked eyebrow, not really understanding the significance of weird slime. "It means," answered Marie with an edge to her voice, "that something was keeping the acid in the slime from harming us and only targeting our clothes for some reason. If the shield was items and the shirt was clothes then what would the rest be?" Comprehension dawned on Ross the sharp breath he took drew glances from the others. Abe was the only one who noticed the spark of realization in his eyes and he wondered if the stoner had realized the same thing he''d figured out over a week ago. George stepped forwards and leaned into Jesse''s face, causing the shorter man to step back and Randy to glance at the jock ready to intercede if necessary. "Our turn," the quarterback said as his eyes narrowed, "why are you asking?" Jesse just smiled, his near-almond eyes creasing in amusement, "because we went back yesterday, went past the lake, and nearly died after exploring the right trail at the intersection."This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The snarl on the blond''s face disappeared in an instant to be replaced by a look of shock and concern, "you- what?" The goth just smirked and pulled up his shirt to reveal a large bruise across his chest, "we went down the path you didn''t and got ambushed by a very, very angry deer with some wicked antlers." "Oh yeah," Randy added with a chuckle as he pulled his shirt up to show the raw skin of the slowly healing cuts, "the thing had these long thorns on its antlers, got me and Jess pretty good." "It wasn''t the only thing we ran into," Morgan said quietly and motioned to the scarfed stoner, "there was a vine that snatched up Ross here and strangled him. When I tried to pull him away, it just gripped tighter and pulled him higher." Devon nodded, "that deer chased us away and we ran back to the stairs. We thought we''d lost him until that same deer brought him over and laid his unconscious body on the grass." The four gamers were stunned, they''d never dealt with anything like that within that place. The worst they''d had to deal with was that giant slime that guarded the stairs. "I''m so sorry" the words just slipped out of Marie''s mouth and all eyes were on her. "Don''t be," Jesse said in a soft voice, "it wasn''t your fault. It was ours." "Yeah, but now we know better," Ross said, his hoarse voice full of determination. Jason looked at the 5 before him and couldn''t believe his ears, "you want to go back? You almost died." Ross shrugged, "I mean yeah, but if we all go together with proper supplies then we should be able to get through the woods and find out what''s going on." Abe was with Jason, "You guys said the deer have antlers with metal spikes and there are vines that strangle you. A malicious grin spread across Jesse''s face, "and I''m pretty sure the hunter here has something strong enough to take out at least a few deer. The rest of us just need to be able to cut away the vines if they get anyone. Shouldn''t be too much of a problem." Devon was nodding along as Jesse and Ross plead their case. To their credit, Randy and Morgan weren''t fully on board with going back down in there. Randy did want to check out that hot spring they''d mentioned and Morgan wanted to know how it was all possible, but that didn''t mean they wanted to be in so much danger again. Their feelings were similar to those of the gamers. Jason wanted to go fishing in the lake and George wanted to find out what was past it while neither really wanted to put themselves back into danger, but Abe and Marie wanted to go back in to find out what was going on. The two groups were so alike despite their differences.
It didn''t take too long for the group''s resolve to falter. The two groups hashed out when they''d go and what extra supplies they''d need then broke up to go their separate ways. As they left the gamers, Devon stuck close to Ross and Morgan. He offered to drive them home in exchange for some help. He had some questions he needed answering and wanted to borrow - and buy - a few things.
Randy Travis Stats -Strength - 4 -Intelligence - 3 -Nimbleness - 4 -Acumen - 3 -Physique - 4 -Synchronicity - 2 -Empathy - 2 Skills -Brawl 3, Dodge 3, Intimidation 4, Survival 2, Acrobatics 2, Climb 2, Driving 3, Sleight of Hand 3, Stealth 3, Swim 3, Weaponry 4, Appraise 2, Bluff 3, Gather Information 3, Haggling 3, Knowledge (High School, Criminal, Varied) 2, Perception 3, Sense Motive 3, Technology 2, Craft (criminal) 1, Disable Item 4, Forgery 3 Equipment -Phone, Wallet, Backpack, Keys, Notebook, Pens, Pencils, Textbooks, Folders, Papers, Snack, Lockpicks, Lighter, Cigarettes, Switchblade, Wire, Crowbar, Firecrackers. -2ndRun: Phone, Wallet, Backpack, Keys, Notebook, Pens, Pencils, Lockpicks, Lighter, Cigarettes, Switchblade, Wire, Crowbar, Firecrackers, Pistol, Earplugs, Flare Gun, 10-Foot Chain, Spray Paint Can, Cherry Bombs, Smoke Bombs, M80 Firecrackers, Deoderant Bomb, Slimazeen --Slimazeen (slime-based magazine capable of reforming itself to fit any gun in any caliber, but has a limited number of shots that must be refilled with slime. Shots function as normal bullets would but leave no shells or bullets behind, just a small glob of slime that dries out over time.) Description -Short, Fit, Tanned Skin, Short Black Hair, Green Eyes, Remik. He looks like he''s been in a lot of fights, and he has. Wears blue jeans and tank tops. -Born into borderline poverty he started stealing at a young age. His parents tried to instill good values into him, but nothing seemed to stick. He got caught shoplifting a few times, but didn''t really face consequences until he got into a fight at school. He was in and out of juvie a few times and learned some tricks while he was there. Around high school he started to mellow out and only really did the occasional bit of tagging, vandalism of abandoned buildings, and the occasional bit of underage partying. He fell into the group of outcasts due to stigma against him and made good friends with them. He''s had multiple girlfriends but is basically a player. -Wary, crass, easy to annoy. Protective of his friends but not afraid to get on their case. Willing to stab someone who presses him too much but won''t stab his friends. A1C8.5 - Dealmaking Devon crested the hill, the moonlight filtering through the canopy illuminated the hill containing the strange bunker. He looked around and had to admit that the area was beautiful. That richie really did choose a good location. A clearing with a hill deep in the forest crowned by a small flat topped boulder, ringed with dense trees, and a small overgrown dirt road leading past. In the crescent moonlight it looked ethereal and sinister, as though the slight silver light had unlocked the true nature of the area. Devon made his way to the slab and set down his pack. Digging around in it, he took out the book and ritual knife he borrowed from Morgan and the chalk he bought at the store. Flipping to a page near the back, he began to draw the circle and diagram he found on the page. He heard a coyote cackle in the darkness far from him and nearly messed up his line, but he took a deep breath and methodically inscribed each line, curve, symbol, and letter until it was finished and his hand was cramping. He took out the supplies: incense, burners, candles, little coals, quick-light, a mini brazier, a baggie of weed, his grinder, a makeshift wand, and a container of roast he''d saved from dinner. "Alright let''s see if this works," the young man whispered under his breath as he lit both of the incense sticks and put them in their places. The candles and brazier were next to be placed and the coals were lit with the quick-lite before he moved to light the candles in a specific order. Once the candles were lit he blew out the coals and ground up the herb he needed before taking the knife and tracing the circle clockwise, chanting what he read in the book by the flickering candlelight. Once the circle was cast he felt a change in his environment immediately - making him hesitate. He''d sat in on and helped with Morgan''s (and occasionally Ross'') rituals and workings, but the times he was there the change was minuscule at best, to the point he could easily dismiss it as a trick of the mind. This... was different. He had a feeling the ritual might work better near the bunker and it appears he was right. He took a deep breath to center himself and took the wand, tracing the circle once more and chanting a different verse as he did so. Once again the environment changed and once again he had to steady himself. He cast a small amount of the herb into the smoldering brazier and called out to the stars as the pungent scent filled the clearing. "Arkanyct, hear my call. First Spark of being and architect of the gulf beneath and between. I call to thee under the yawning sky and the brilliant stars as a seeker of wisdom. Oh, Great Voidborn, I humbly ask that you appear before me and take the offerings and the price you would enact." He felt the air around him grow more electric as he spoke to the stars. The hair on his skin beginning to stand on end both due to adrenaline and the strange charge in the air. He cast more of the herb into the brazier as he ended his call and knelt before it to wait, the charge in the air vanishing in an instant. The slight breeze had stopped and the night was calm as the smoke rose into the sky, the scent of marijuana, frankincense, and jasmine intermingling and spreading out across the clearing. Minutes passed as a slight tension filled the air, though whether that was simply his own perception or not, he couldn''t tell. He heard the yipping of coyotes nearby and sucked in a breath as the bushes at the edge of the clearing rustled. He realized they''d get to him before he could make it to his car and felt his heart leap into his throat as a small pack of them emerged from the shadows. The balloon-skin of the air was tangible as the coyotes creept towards him, a sitting duck in an open position. Suddenly the forest went quiet, the sounds of birds and insects stopping abruptly, as the coyotes froze like statues with their ears flat and their tails between their legs. The candles, incense, and brazier were seemingly unaffected by the strange event.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Devon glanced around the clearing unable to believe what he was seeing. His breath stuck in his throat, unable to move as the very air itself mummified him like plastic wrap from the pressure yet to be released. He couldn''t tell where it was coming from but it felt as though he would be crushed into paste unless he could break the surface of whatever was causing this unseen swell. He strained to take a breath yet couldn''t seem to move his muscles against the force and, terrified of dying from suffocation, he gave a pleading look to the stars. Then froze in fear and wonder. The stars were no longer twinkling, rather they were glowing like faraway spotlights. Glancing down he noticed the soft light of the candles appeared as though miniature bonfires in luminosity, the incense resembled LEDs, and all were getting brighter as he watched. Just as he felt he was going to pass out there was a snap from somewhere both within and all around the circle that reverberated across the clearing beneath the still air. The pressure was gone in an instant and he took deep sucking breaths as the pack of coyotes fled back into the treeline, yipping and yowling to warn even demons to flee. Though the pressure and tension had disappeared in an instant, the stars still shone bright, illuminating the clearing in a soft silver light that made it seem to be closer to evening than midnight. Slowly a melody drifted across the clearing, quiet drumming and panpipes, though it was a sound from beneath the wind that permeated his very being as if it was slipping between the very material he was formed from. There was a rustling at the treeline and Devon''s attention snapped to it, desperately scanning to discern exactly what was happening. Two glimmering star-like orbs stood out from the shadow of the treeline, slowly joined by points of light spreading away from them and marking out the shape of a strange - almost dog-like - creature as it slowly loped into the clearing, the emptiness between the stars that composed its body drinking in the light and giving its form a facade of physical substance. The creature locked eyes with the terrified man and he nearly fainted, barely managing to stay upright and cling to coherency despite everything. As the creature opened its jaws and revealed teeth made of the same material as its spots and eyes it uttered a high-pitched cackle that reverberated against the canvas which reality itself was painted on. Feeling the sound resonate within his bones, Devon struggled to his feet, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply to steady himself before once again locking eyes with the being before him. "Who- What are you?" Devon managed to croak out from the fear constricting his throat. The creature appeared to grin. "Oh?" The voice of a young man similar in age to him reverberated inside of his head with just the barest hint of a smirk playing amongst the words, "And here I thought you called* me *here." Devon sucked in a breath and swallowed, "A-Arkanyct?" he stammered out, his knees growing a little weaker. "The one and only. Though this form is... not my typical." "My... My friends... They think you''re bound." "They do. But is that what you really want to know about?" Devon hesitated as the creature made of stars and void smiled and loped closer to him. Glancing away to reorganize his thoughts he came to a decision. "No. I have other questions and am willing to pay their price." "Well then, Child of Time..." the primordial beast tilted its head to the side and stepped up to the slab, placing a paw onto the stone as it continued, "we have much to discuss..."
Devon: Perk gained [Class: Avowed - Rank 0] A1C9 - The Third Run Almost a week had passed since Ross had almost died in the second floor of the bunker but only a day since Devon had last been there. The ride there was tense and electric across all four vehicles. The route was practically memorized at this point; the caravan taking each turn with the same precision as synchronized swimmers performing a dance. As the group pulled up to the entrance they rechecked their gear, put on any precautions they brought with them, and quietly headed in. The entrance room was as still and simple as ever, the walls and floor untouched by the passage of time or even the erosion of weather. Without even waiting for the rest of the group to get inside, Randy lit and chucked a few m80 firecrackers into the next room to get things rolling much to the chagrin of George and Jesse. As the last of the members entered the room, the last of the slimes was destroyed. The group waited a second and just like last time the light appeared above the splattered forms of the slimes to give them a few scraps of silk cloth and a single crystal. Jason picked up the loot and began to distribute earplugs to each member as they passed him to move deeper into the complex The group was on a mission and they didn''t plan on stopping. The next room was over just as quickly as the first and the loot they gained was just as familiar as before. As they entered the boss room, they spread out to actually get some space to move. Multiple weapons were brandished and all eyes were trained on the heaving pool of slime in the center of the room. A now familiar figure of slime emerged and visibly hesitated upon realizing the situation. It glanced around the room at each of the young adults surrounding it and slowly slid back into its pool, much to the confusion of everyone else. Each of the group members exchanged looks and after about a minute Jason just shouldered his rifle and shot into the slime pool. The resulting rumble was followed by an explosion of movement. The figure emerged once again and multiple tentacles and smaller slimes spilled out, each seeking a different target. Very quickly after this display another rumble shook the room caused by several high-powered firecrackers being lit and sent at the large figure at the same time. The core of the great slime was cracked and a few seconds later the smaller slimes were splattered across the walls. The group took a breather as the light appeared once again and deposited two items by the pool in the center. The first was a chain made of the same crystal that had made George''s shield and Jesse''s cane which was picked up by Devon. The second was a cloak made of a strange, durable fabric that seemed to shimmer slightly and change to fit the surroundings, which was picked up by Jason and almost immediately put on.
Pinky was... Well concerned was putting it a bit too lightly. Maybe the incident last time had changed something in them? They seemed determined and it was really giving her a bad feeling. She could feel a pit slowly opening up in her stomach as she watched them descend the stairs.
Once again the group had found themselves in the strange underground forest. They split up at the intersection, each taking the path they hadn''t fully explored the first time. The party crested the hill and found themselves at the lake shore once again, the dappled sunlight reflecting off the calm waves. It took them about a minute to find the other path and only a little longer to follow it. As they came upon the waterfall they were stunned by the majestic sight. The cascading water''s thrum releasing stress from within them that they didn''t even realize they were harboring. Ross lead the rest of the outcasts to the campsite where they lingered behind as the stoner moved on ahead. Following the trail he came upon a small clearing with multiple small ponds, each cordoned off with what appeared to be a bamboo wall, and a small pink slime bouncing in and out of them. Feeling someone grab his shoulder, he let out a very undignified scream which got the attention of the slime. A bang sounded out behind him and the blob of jelly popped as he turned to see his friends gathering behind him. He scowled at their amusement and shook his head before leading them over to inspect the area. After not much longer, both groups met back up at the crossroads and proceeded onto the final path. The group was tense with all members on high alert. Where before there hadn''t been many words shared, they were now as silent as the woods surrounding them. The path they walked wasn''t helping matters either as with each step it seemed like it was getting darker and more densely walled with trees and undergrowth. When the intersection where the deer was previously met was reached, weapons were readied immediately. Randy pulled out a can of spray paint and shook it up, the clanking of the ball bearing echoing ominously in the near silent forest, as Jesse stepped up beside him. Abe pulled out a large spool of string, signalling to George to follow him as he tied it around a tree at the entrance to one of the side paths. The two pairs each took one side path, quickly discovering that both were dead ends and doubling back. With an exchange of nods and the untying of string, the group moved forwards as Abe sketched out what they''d discovered in his sketchbook. It didn''t take them long to come across another intersection. This time though they''d come upon a wall of trees with a corridor stretching to the left and right, both paths turning off and making it impossible to see where they went. As Randy and Jesse went to once again check out one of the two trails they were stopped by Abe and George. With simple body language, the two said that it wasn''t a good idea and they should all stick together. Afterwards the geek and jock turned back to the rest of the group and motioned for a vote on which path to take. With a show of hands, they chose the left hand path and followed it. They followed the path for a short time and, upon turning the corner, were met with both another 4-way intersection and the realization that this truly was a maze. Randy sprayed a marking on a tree to show the way they''d come and once again Abe and George went to call for a vote. However the forest had other ideas. From seemingly out of nowhere, a large deer with plush fur, pink hooves, and wide spiked antlers slammed into George and pinned him to the ground. Abe jumped back and the rest spread out in an attempt to both make room and to not be in immediate striking distance of those wicked thorns. Jason shouldered his rifle, quickly aimed, and fired directly into the flank of the deer. The beast bellowed and practically tossed George to the side, making him skid along the packed dirt for a few feet. Randy was next and quickly let loose two shots into the creature, forcing it to swing its heavy head between the two attackers. Morgan helped George to his feet, thankfully not too worse for wear as the beast charged at Jason. Jason scrambled to retreat as it neared him but it never made contact. A strange weighted crystal chain shot out from the side, wrapped around its neck, and jerked it to the side, forcing it to the ground with a sickening crack. Everyone looked at the deer and followed the chain to see Devon holding it in his hands, a strange look of reservation across his face. Jesse checked out George as Devon moved to unwrap the chain from the deceased creature''s neck. As the metalhead reached forwards to move it, a strange light emanated from it and the deer disappeared, the chain going slack as a scrap of plush fabric wrapped around something dropped where the deer''s center of mass was. He gathered up his chain and everyone watched as he opened the wrapped fabric to find a thick slab of meat. Jason moved forwards and inspected it before rewrapping it and putting it in his backpack for safekeeping. As Jason stowed away the bundle, the rest of the group decided to take the left. Once more the group came upon a T-intersection, though this time it was from a different direction as they simply stumbled onto the side path with no warning. Their current path seemed to turn into another one not too further ahead as well. Devon, Randy, George, and Abe volunteered to check out the side passage and, after a short informal vote, they headed off after Abe tied his string to the starting path. Their course wound deep into the forest before they stumbled onto yet another intersection. While Abe and Randy silently bickered over which path to take, Devon glanced down the right hand path and signaled to them that it was a dead end. With that matter settled, the small group split into two pairs and each took one of the paths. Abe and George took the left handed path and found the trees growing slightly less dense as they traveled. Their path wound between areas of relative low and high density trees before finally coming to a dead end. Devon and Randy took the center path and the trees continued to grow denser and denser. They rounded a corner and watched a slight fog appear at their feet as they moved. The two were almost opposites of each other as Randy was twitchy and nervous while Devon was calm but despondent. After a few more minutes of walking they came upon a large wooden gate decorated with the image of a deer with antlers of trees. Upon seeing this, the two glanced at each other and made their way back. As the expedition party met back up they informed the other pair what they''d found and quickly moved to gather the rest of the group. Once the rest of the group was brought up to speed they made their way to the gate and, after a short time spent on rechecking this gear and reloading, entered through it. As the gate opened they were shown a massive circular arena with wooden stake walls resembling the tree boundary of the trail, ground consisting of packed dirt with grass around the edges, and three portcullises on the far side of the arena. As the group moved in the gate swung closed behind them and an audible locking noise rung out across the colosseum, mockingly echoed by two of the portcullises clanking as they began to retract downwards. As the entrances were fully unsealed two creatures emerged from the darkness of each. Two of the same deer that they''d faced earlier slowly moved into the arena, mirrored by two strange moving thick vines on the other side. All at once the strange creatures noticed the assembled group and dropped into offensive stances before charging directly at them. The group of seniors hastily attempted to find a good position in the short time they had to react and failed miserably. In their attempt to form a fighting line they instead simply scattered and made themselves easier targets. George and Abe bumped into each other before both were bowled over by a speeding deer, leading to the larger jock getting stabbed in multiple non-threatening places simultaneously. Jesse and Devon jumped out of the way of the other deer, inadvertently causing Ross to trip over the now prone goth. Randy and Jason both backed up and took potshots at the autonomous vine bee-lining towards them with both missing every shot they made. Marie and Morgan sprinted away from the other vine and slammed into each other and fell forwards, causing their limbs to get tangled up for just the second needed for the serpentine plant to coil around Marie''s leg.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. With adrenaline pumping and the threat of possible death staring him in the face, George let loose a primal roar and kicked the deer off of him. Grabbing his bat as he stood back up, he swung directly at the beast and slammed his spiked club up into the side of its partially dazed head. The cervine monster brayed in pain as the force of the impact forced it to move or fall, giving Abe enough time to stand up and blast it with his homemade flamethrower. The deer felt pain and fear race across its body as its fur caught fire and it swung its antlers at the two in front of it, feeling its legs buckle from the counter that broke off its antlers and slammed its entire front half into the dirt. George roared once more and kept bringing his bat down on the deer until it stopped moving, its head and front of its torso mashed beyond any possible reconstruction. Abe watched in stunned silence with his mouth hanging open and a single thought whispering in his head: "Nari Battle Rage is real..." Jesse managed to stand up and get his cane in front of him just as the deer thrust at him. He wasn''t too happy to be on the receiving end of an angry deer again, though at least this time is wasn''t its rear end. He saw Devon''s chain lash out from the corner of his eye and the deer brayed in rage as its back leg was pulled out of its socket. The next thing he saw almost made him drop his crystal rod. Ross leapt onto the back of the deer and wrapped his arm around its head, causing it to rear up in an attempt to knock him off. The look on the stoner''s face made Jesse''s blood run cold. His ice-blue eyes were seemingly unfocused and practically bulging out of his head with dilated pupils and a grin spread from ear to ear with bared teeth. The deer brayed one last time as Ross dug his fingers into the creature''s flesh and sunk his knife to the hilt in the creature''s neck, madly laughing as the blood sprayed across his face and chest. Devon and Jesse shared a look that communicated the same thought: "Oh shit. The [Soul-Eater] is going crazy." As the strange vine snaked towards them, Randy and Jason fired off a few more shots but weren''t quite able to actually harm it. The hunter growled in frustration and tossed his rifle aside, much to the shock of the thug beside him, and pulled out his trusty axe. The vine coiled up and leapt at Randy who attempted to back up only to slam his back against the gate. He yelled in pain as the vine clamped down on his shoulder, its tip opening up to reveal multiple large thorns that dug into his flesh. With no hesitation Jason grabbed it by the "head", yanked it out of his party member, and dunked it onto the ground. Randy clutched his bleeding shoulder in pain as the hunter slammed his foot onto the "head" of the vine and proceeded to chop into it over and over. As the vine wrapped around Marie''s leg she screamed in a mix of pain and fear. The tip of the vine opened up to hiss at the frightened girl and revealed multiple large thorns as it did so. Operating on pure instinct Morgan jumped up and kicked the vine in the tip, not doing much damage to it but drawing its attention from the other woman. The serpent reared up and lunged forwards but couldn''t move much from its position around the smaller girl. Morgan slashed at the plant and it dodged easily as it began unwrapping itself and slowly moving towards her to get a better shot. Once again the serpent lunged at the young witch, but this time its bite made contact with her forearm. The scream pulled Marie out of her shock and she snatched up her slime gun, clicked the dials, then sprayed and prayed. The effect was almost immediate. The vegetative serpent released the now partially wet witch and began thrashing about on the ground. Morgan pulled out a water bottle and doused herself to remove the water as the vine dissolved in the slime. The two women looked at each other with a newfound sense of respect as they sought to catch their breath. With all of the beasts dead, the party members moved to tend to their wounds. First aid kits were brought out and bandages and antiseptic were applied. Just as they finished up they heard a rumbling noise coming from the opposite end of the arena and each one turned to see what was going on. The large portcullis in the middle had begun to move and once it had retracted into the earth a huge creature emerged. It was a tall beast with pink fur, purple spots, a long snake-like neck, a massive rack of gemstone-spiked, gleaming antlers, silver hooves with gold inlay, and black leather armor. It moved slowly, taking in the astonished party with its gleaming eyes, and stopped a third of the way from them. "What... What is that?" Jesse asked, unable to believe his eyes. "Maybe a... magic giraffe?" Morgan offered but without even a shred of confidence. Abe swallowed and pulled out a roman candle, "I know that''s supposed to be." "What?" Morgan glanced over, puzzled at the firework. Abe lit the fuse and pointed it at the great beast in front of them, "that''s a questing beast." Any further questions were cut short as the first fireball lanced forth and exploded behind the creature''s head. It let loose a braying roar and dashed forwards, its serpentine neck seeking out the small geek who''d deafened it. Everyone scattered and Abe jumped to the side while keeping his aim on the thing coming after him. Another ball flew towards the creature and exploded against its flank, searing the armor and eliciting another cry of pain from the creature. Jason picked up his gun and after a second to line it up, shot the creature in its back haunch. Randy fired multiple shots, but couldn''t tell if he made contact with how it was already moving and crying out. The beast''s antlers raked against the ground and tossed Abe across the arena, the firework loosing the last of its shots high into the air where it did no damage just before the pudgy geek landed in the dirt. Marie ran over to check on her friend as the creature turned to look at the two men firing at it. As soon as it charged at them, the two scattered in opposite directions knowing it would have to pick one of them. It chose to follow Jason and snorted in derision at the fleeing human who could never match its speed just before it felt something sticky and solid wrap around its front leg and slammed into the ground. Devon pulled his crystal chain tight and yelled in both anger and exertion as the creature he''s just tripped up tried to pull him forwards. Suddenly he saw two people dash past him. George and Ross started wailing on the struggling beast like men possessed. One slamming his spiked club down hard enough to almost break it and the other carving bloody swathes out of the back haunch. The great deer-thing brayed in pain and frustration as it lost the use of its back legs and quickly called out again as multiple bullets lodged themselves deep into its flank. Devon was pulled to the ground as his footing gave way from the beast attempting to stand up, but it didn''t matter much anymore. Multiple fireballs exploded around the creature''s head from roman candles and the dazed monster was soon after taken down by a combination of fire, bullet, blade, and chain. The great beast collapsed against the wall of the arena and shortly after all of the corpses disintegrated into light and were replaced by various items. Jason picked up the items dropped from the first round, mostly fabric and vine scraps, and put them in his backpack. The light from the questing beast coalesced into two different items which laid beside its final resting place. The first was a strange wooden staff with multiple storage holes incorporated into the design and strange runic inscriptions along the length. The second was a small, straightened piece of carved antler with small vines embedded along its length, a tiny crystal replacing the tip, and leather straps around the base end. Ross and Abe were the ones to walk forwards this time and as they reached the items the seemingly understood which one belonged to them. Ross picked up the staff and watched in amazement as the runes began to glow softly and tiny motes of green light appeared and vanished like ethereal fireflies around the tip. Abe picked up the wand and sucked in a sharp breath as the crystal glowed and a soft pseudo-electric hum seemed to fill his body for a second before receding back into the wand.
Pinky was caught somewhere between awe and terror. On the one hand, they had taken down her Great Deer and conquered her forest. On the other hand they now had access to magic and had proven themselves. She finally realized which side she was one when both she and the group of seniors heard a door opening from the chamber behind the central portcullis. Light emerged from a doorway within the darkness and drew the attention of the adventurers she had been watching this whole time. She watched as one by one they entered into her most private room. A single thought entered her head. "Oh no." Abraham Cortes -Item Gained: [Antler Wand] Ross Nelson -Item Gained: [Staff of the Green]
Ross Nelson Stats -Strength - 3 -Intelligence - 4 -Nimbleness - 3 -Acumen - 4 -Physique - 3 -Synchronicity - 3 -Empathy - 4 Skills -Brawl 2, Dodge 2, Sleight of Hand 3, Stealth 3, Swim 3, Appraise 4, Bluff 4, Diplomacy 3, Gather Information 2, Haggling 4, Knowledge (High School, Drugs, Varied) 3, Perception 2, Sense Motive 4, Technology 1, Agriculture 1, Herbology 2, Craft (Paraphenalia) 2, Forgery 2, Medical 1, Forbidden Knowledge (Planes, Spirits, Primordials) 3 Equipment -Phone, Wallet, Backpack, Keys, Notebook, Pens, Pencils, Textbooks, Folders, Papers, Snack, Journal, Pendant necklace. -2nd+3rd Run: Phone, Wallet, Backpack, Keys, Notebook, Pens, Pencils, Journal, Pendant necklace, Baggie of Joints, Grinder, Mini Bong, Baggie of Mushrooms, Walking Stick, Bowie Knife, Chalk, Packet of Incense, Lotus Incense Burner, Lighter, Scissors, Snack, Water Bottle, Staff of the Green -Staff of the Green (3rd; Living Wood Walking Stick with holder for mini bong, stash, lighter, and grinder, allows for basic magic without magical skills or perks) Description -Skinny, shaggy blond hair, blue eyes, Nari. Wears baggy shirts, ripped jeans, running shoes, beanie, and a necklace with the peace symbol on it. 2nd Run: Wears the same thing -Born into a low class hippie family, he was given space to find himself and had a nice childhood. He didn''t always get his way, but his parents were always willing to see things from his perspective and explain their reasoning to him. Eventually he started asking his parents questions on the nature of things and his father taught him how to do research and where to start. From then on he was almost always reading, asking questions, and practicing things he found in the books his parents agreed with. On his 13th birthday his parents gave him a joint and smoked with him. From then on as long as he kept his grades up and stayed out of trouble, he''d have an alright supply of weed, which he made sure to do even while hanging out with the other outcasts at school. On his 16th birthday, his dad gave him mushrooms and he went on a strong trip that led him to a deeper understanding of reality. Afterwards, he began to research more, grow his own stash, and performed similar investigation to Morgan with greater effects and discoveries. These discoveries led to many late night discussions with Morgan over the nature of reality. -Very laid back and introspective, very hard to anger or annoy. Doesn''t talk much unless he''s high or shooting the shit, otherwise he observes and only speaks when he feels it''s necessary. A1C10 - Lasting Impact The group slowly approached the doorway with Abe checking for any possible traps within the chamber before it. Entering the next room they were baffled by what they saw. It was a large room, able to fit them all with room to spare, and made up to resemble the bedroom of a young woman from 20-25 years ago. The walls were a pastel rose color and covered with varied posters, pictures, and shelves -both standing and hanging- cluttered with old toys, candles, plushies, and books. An ornate vanity and chair sat opposite the door with a large mahogany wardrobe and standing closet on either side. An unused mahogany desk with a small lamp sat against the left wall and a large chest sat facing it on the opposite side of the room. In the very center of the room was a marble pedestal resembling that of a Greek column holding a large hot pink crystal ball surrounded by drapes like that of a canopy bed. The group looked around as they filtered in, each party member finding something to occupy their curiosity. Abe, Devon, and Ross moved around the pedestal and just stared in awe at the crystal ball. Morgan and Marie looked through the myriad books and found fashion magazines, college textbooks, scrapbooks, fictions of various genres (mostly trashy romance books), and the occasional book on mathematics or architecture. Jason and Randy sifted through the chest but upon finding it full of old diaries, picture albums, and letters decided to close it and not go through the possible treasured thoughts of a dead girl. George and Jesse just generally looked around in search of anything interesting on the shelves but couldn''t seem to find anything that looked truly out of place for the room. Jesse picked up a cotton candy scented candle and flipped it in his hand before looking at the trio standing stock still and looking at the ball on the plinth. "So... Where''s the secret? What are we looking for? Why are you looking at that?" "Dungeon Core" all three said in unison before looking shiftily at each other and gaining the attention of everyone else. "How''d you know that?" Ross pointedly asked Abe "Played games and read stories with this concept," He replied, "how do you know this?" "Let''s call it divine revelation," he said as he opened his jacket and pinched a baggie in an inside pocket. "Divine rev-" Jesse started before realizing "goddamn it Ross, how long have you had those on you?!" The stoner just shrugged at his question, "long enough to be disappointed I couldn''t get to use them in here." The goth sighed and shook his head as Abe and Ross turned to Devon. "So when''d you find out about this?" asked Ross, slightly more suspicious of him than the geek. The metalhead slowly turned to look at his friend, "remember when I asked how to do a summoning? And about those things you and Morgan thought could be involved?" The stoner''s eyes widened in concern, "you didn''t." "I did. Just the other night in fact. Right above this bunker, or ,I guess, dungeon," the calm, nearly defeated, tone in Devon''s voice set Ross and Morgan on edge. Ross narrowed his eyes and leaned towards him, "who did you call?" "Arkanyct," he said with the ghost of a smile on his face. "Ar-what?!" the stoner was incredulous and the witch looked at Devon like he''d grown a second head, "Why would you call out to that one? There''s almost no info on it and supposedly it''s been either destroyed somehow or bound in another realm." "I figured I''d try something and the others didn''t seem like they''d be helpful," Devon shrugged, "besides... He responded." "Responded? You mean, like a sign or something?" probed the witch. "No, an actual manifestation," the metalhead responded while locking eyes with her, the placid face he''d had all day a stark contrast to the intensity of his eyes. Morgan took a step back from the force of his gaze, "a manifestation? You mean like... a spirit aligned with the primordial or mayb-" "No," Devon cut her off, "I mean a fragment of the thing itself manifested in the form of a hyena composed of solid nothingness with eyes and spots of stars-" "A null cack-" Morgan started to say but was denied. Devon continued despite the attempted cut-in, "-the voice of a man, and the soft sound of pipes and drums carried through the space between the atoms that made up my body. He may be trapped or bound or whatever, but he responded to my call. He warned me about the core, hinted about what could happen, and told me about other things I should watch for." Both mystics reeled from the words. George and Jason glanced at each other then back at the man who up until recently had never seemed the religious type. It was Marie who broke the growing tension. "What did he ask for?" It was a simple question, but it carried a hefty weight. Actions like this always had a price to pay. Tsuaf and Sadim were the first examples that came to mind to the group of Seniors. What had the young man risked for knowledge? He smiled then chuckled dryly and looked at the girl who only a short time ago had scoffed at the very idea of the supernatural. "Nothing." The word reverberated in the silence. As though speaking it plucked the string of an instrument beyond the ken of physical beings. Everyone shared glances, the air in the room becoming uncomfortable and stifling. It was Morgan''s turn to speak now, though she didn''t know if she could. "What do you mean, ''nothing?''" the young witch whispered. Devon''s eyes snapped to her with such intensity it made her jump, "I mean nothing. He asked for no recompense, no favors, no offerings, no succor. I made a deal with him for knowledge and he was more than happy to oblige, saying that just having the knowledge on its own was enough of a price. ''There are things that man was not meant to know,'' he said as I stared into him, ''and now you will know why.'' Then he started speaking and explaining concepts and things I can''t put fully into words. And he was right. The knowledge was its own price. I had locked eyes with the abyss and it cackled with glee." The man''s voice had become a growl as he neared the end of his tirade and his eyes drifted to the core. The damned primordial was right. About everything. Well, so far anyways. He peered deeply into the orb, its slightly cloudy insides getting murkier the deeper he looked. His gaze drilled deeper and deeper through the pink clouds until finally the truth was revealed and his eyes connected with another pair. Emerald green and terrified, both within the core and above the group in the room, framed by a tanned face, eyeliner, and mascara.
He broke his eye contact with the core and released a broken, tired sigh, "now what do we do?" Everyone started looking at each other and the few who thought they had ideas merely closed their mouths seconds afterwards. Suddenly Morgan remembered something, dropped to her knees, and started rummaging through her backpack. Everyone watched her curiously, as she pulled out a little blue rock on a chain and a circular wooden board with letters painted on it and a long hook attached to it out. She placed them on the floor then pulled out a little pack of incense, a flower-shaped burner, and a little bell. Ross realized what she was doing and moved over to help her set it up, lighting and setting the incense as she propped up the pendulum over the circular board. When everything was ready the young witch cleared her throat, centered herself, and rang the bell. The change was practically instant. As the crisp, clear sound wave spread out through the room everything became still in a way that it hadn''t been before, as if the very air was holding its breath lest even a single eddy current appear to break the spell. The young woman slowly pulled out a notebook and pencil then looked to the orb on the plinth and spoke as though she was performing a ritual. "Patricia," she called out in a loud but even voice, "if you are here then please communicate with us. We mean you no harm and wish to know more about you and this place. If you cannot speak to us with your voice then I beseech thee to move the pendulum before me and use the letters written on it as your voice. I will record the letters you show so we can understand you."
The group listened in amazement and sorrow as the witch recounted the ghost girl''s story, some of them sneaking glances at the core after it was revealed how she became its soul. Once her tale was told the room fell silent as they all took in the information they''d received. Morgan had a few more questions that she was dying to ask, but the time didn''t seem right to ask them. Abe, on the other hand, didn''t seem to have that problem.Stolen novel; please report. "Patricia," he asked slowly, "do you know how long have you been in here?" Morgan shot him a look both for not being respectful of the moment but also for stealing one of her questions. She was just about to hiss out a response at him when she noticed the pendulum swing between the "Don''t Know" sections. Hold on, she didn''t know how long she had been down here? That can''t be good for one''s mental health. Just as she was about to say something, the pendulum started swinging again. ''W-H-A-T Y-E-A-R I-S I-T'' Morgan dropped her pencil and stared at her notebook. She stammered, took a breath, then slowly repeated the question. Everyone looked at each other as none of them wanted to give the ghost girl dungeon core a panic attack. After what felt like a minute George cleared his throat. "It''s uh... It''s 1860." You could have heard a pin drop in that room. The pendulum went completely still, as though someone had stuck a magnet in the center of the board. Everyone stood completely still, terrified of what might happen to them. It felt like forever had passed before the pendulum began to move again. ''S-E-V-E-N Y-E-A-R-S I H-A-V-E B-E-E-N A-L-O-N-E F-O-R S-E-V-E-N Y-E-A-R-S'' Morgan teared up at the realization but managed to repeat it for all to hear. Their response was predictable. Pity, sorrow, and amazement that she hadn''t gone mad. George, Marie, Abe, and Jason exchanged knowing looks as they''d realized how long she''d been alone from the moment the bunker was built in her story. George felt like it was his turn to ask now, partly to change the subject and turn her thoughts to something lighter. "Patricia," he started, but stopped when the pendulum started swinging. ''"P-I-N-K-Y M-Y N-A-M-E I-S P-I-N-K-Y'' Morgan nodded, "she says her name is ''Pinky'' so we should probably use that instead." Jesse glanced around but bit his tongue and George continued, "Pinky, why did you put that slime pool in the second room?"
<"Because I thought you would want to know how it got there and would go deeper in to find out."> "But I thought that dungeons wanted to keep people out? Why draw us deeper in?" <"Oh that''s simple," she said as she spelled, "I was desperate for any form of outside contact other than wolves, coyotes, deer, or the occasional bird. If I wasn''t, you probably wouldn''t have survived the first room. I mean, you almost didn''t. I had to order my slimes to not dissolve your flesh purely because I wanted you to come back. Oh, and speaking of not hurting you... Beanie Guy, I''m so sorry for my vine almost killing you. I didn''t mean it. I guess I just forgot to order them to take it easy on you guys."> "My uh my name''s Ross, actually." "So, you can''t tell us about our loot? Like, what it does?" prodded Abe. [Name: Steel Knife] [Size: 1] [Damage: 1 Rending] [Type: Melee] [Weapon Group: Blade] [Keywords/Special: Dual Wield, Throwing, Stealth (+2), Minor Antimagic] [Name: Slimecrystal Shield] [Size: 2] [Armor: +1] [Slot: Arm] [Keywords/Special: Shield, Passive regeneration buff applied on taking acid damage with duration equal to amount of damage taken] [Name: Antler Wand] [Size: 1] [Keywords/Special: Stealth (+2), Allows access to Magic without the Arcane Seed perk] [Name: Slimecrystal Slime Slinger] [Size: 2] [Damage: 1 Acid] [Type: Ranged] [Reload: 1 AP] [Range: 5 Hexes] [Weapon Group: Launcher] [Ammo: 10 Slime] [Keywords/Special: Spray Variable, Launcher (Chemical), Damages one Item Type or Biological Physiology at a time chosen before firing] [Name: Loosh Sublimate Chameleon Cloak] [Size: 4] [Armor: +0] [Slot: Head and Back] [Keywords/Special: Cloth, Environmental (Cold, Wind, Precipitation), Stealth (+3)] [Name: Slimecrystal Shillelagh] [Size: 2] [Damage: 1 Impact] [Type: Melee] [Weapon Group: Club] [Keywords/Special: Dual Wield, Bypass Slime Impact damage immunity] [Name: Slimecrystal Chainwhip] [Size: 5] [Damage: 3 Impact] [Type: Melee] [Weapon Group: Lash] [Keywords/Special: Reach, Close Attack, Finesse, Sticky, Reeling] [Name: Slimecrystal Slimazeen] [Size: 1] [Keywords/Special: Liquid (Slime), Can reform to act as viable ammo for any firearm it is used in] [Name: Livingwood Staff of the Green] [Size: 3] [Damage: 1 Impact/1 Impact] [Type: Melee] [Weapon Group: 2-Handed Club, Monk] [Keywords/Special: Hand and a Half, Double, Container, Allows access to Magic without the Arcane Seed perk] "Hey Miss Dungeon Core? What did you say this cloak was made out of?" "What is that?" "Then how did you make it?" "Hey, Pinky, could you make a way for us to come back down to the second level without needing to fight through the first floor? It''s honestly beautiful and I''d love to come down some time without having to get a few others to sweep through with me." "Ya know," the stoner said as he looked up at the statue, "I don''t know if you can hear me or not. But if you can, you might wanna set up a little table in here with a bowl or two for donations. Maybe a sign above it or something. So we don''t have to go in and wreck things just to give you a bit of juice. Plus I think it''d be nice for people to give you gifts. Not just because of the experience they''ll have, but also to expand what you can make. You said it yourself, you can''t directly make what you haven''t absorbed."
Patricia "Pinky" Millicent Primary Stats -Control 1 -Acumen 3 -Mental Power 1 -Intelligence 3 -Empathy 4 Secondary Stats -Durability: 8 TN, 6 Hardness -Break Points: 12 -Size 5 -Creature Focuses --Slime --Deer --Fish --Vine --[Unused] -Saves --Physical: 5 --Mental: 4 Perks: -Soulborn -Training Wheels -Hit Marker (Pleasure) -Interior Designer -Dungeon Sight -Masterworker Theme - Arcane Secondary Theme: Fashion Dungeon Type: Summoner Avatar Type: Phantom Core Color: Hot Pink Core Level - 1 Contracted Creatures: -None Phantom Appearance:22-23 year old rich girl with long blonde hair, tanned skin, and tasteful makeup. Personality: Ditzy, bubbly, bored, tired of being alone, desperately desires human contact despite being a ghost in an orb, very curious and anxious now that people have found her dungeon after her father died Backstory:Born to a rich family, Pinky had everything growing up. From a young age was a very happy and talkative girl, though not the smartest, with a love of makeup, fashion, and music. When she was around 10, her father gave her an expensive piece of jewelry with a sparkly grape-like jewel he''d picked up from a trip to a foreign land that, weirdly enough, changed from deep blue to hot pink after about 12 years of her wearing it. As she got older she began to yearn for the boys around her, but her father forbade her from even thinking about it and promising her a new car and house if she remained pure until she was out of college and married. She followed his wishes and remained pure even through college, though to make up for it she began dressing in very revealing outfits to get a taste of the attention she desperately wanted. It was for naught though, as she got into a car crash while on the way back home and was barely kept alive by the paramedics, passing away a few days after the incident from her injuries surrounded by her family. When she died, the jewel flashed and her father was puzzled by what happened. The night before the funeral, he was visited by her ghost in a dream, saying that she was alive in the gem somehow and she felt unsafe, telling him what she needed to feel safe. Using the money he was going to put towards the house and car he had a crypt built to house his family''s remains, had a lavish funeral, and bought a small piece of property out in a forested rural area with a large hill he turned into a shelter to hold his daughter''s jewel. He had a sculpture of her made with a plaque bearing her nickname and placed it in the shelter behind a marble pillar made for the jewel to rest on. He brought her belongings to the shelter every day, at first terrified that someone had somehow stolen them before seeing that they dissolved as he left. Using signs she asked him if she could change the shelter to better suit her and he agreed. He came back to see that more rooms had been added and her pedestal had moved deeper, that strange creatures she had made to protect herself had filled the halls, and that even a new floor had been added. He visited every day and, when he eventually died, his most trusted servants recorded the funeral for her to watch. After which she turned one of her rooms into a memorial with a statue of her father. Since his death, she had no visitors. Eventually the door became loose and animals began to enter, drawn by the lingering energy to seek her out, and putting them down became somewhat routine over time. She had little energy to expand, most of it going to sustain herself and her monsters, and spent most of her time daydreaming. Act 1 Epilogue Nearly a week had passed since Pinky''s dungeon had been cleared by a group of seniors from a local high school. The nine students continued their schooling but began training to more easily deal with the dungeon they had stumbled upon merely a month prior. Their worldview had changed quite substantially from their experiences and each of them was adapting to it in their own ways. Some honed their skills in combat, some sought deeper knowledge, and others focused their efforts on more tactical endeavors. It was early morning, the twilight just beginning to taint the sparkling indigo sky with a hint of the coming day, and Ross had spent nearly the whole night in an enhanced meditation deep within Pinky''s dungeon. He sat in a lotus position on a large rock before the lake shore with his staff across his lap and a lit stick of incense burning nearby. Hours ago he had ingested some nyxcap he and his father had been cultivating and used the potent effects to expand his awareness. The veil had lifted not long after he entered a deep meditative state and as visions played across his mindscape he felt both a vibrant presence watching him and a strange charge in the air. He''d felt the charge in a much more muted form in this dungeon before, but now he was fully conscious of it and in his current state could even see the strange colors and eddies of the energy as it flowed around him. He watched as the flow slowly streamed forth from the core deeper in the dungeon then turned his head towards the entrance where is spilled out into the surrounding forest and soaked in much like water seeping into thirsty ground. As he watched the flow of energy he noticed something disturb the flow like a light shockwave racing across the aetheric sea before him. When the ripple finally reached him the meaning was apparent, though the source he wasn''t sure of. His eyes flicked open, the beautiful lapping of the water on the lake shore completely undisturbed by the strange ripple. Ross turned his head towards the vibrant presence he''d felt earlier and saw a tanned Iuiqui woman in revealing clothes with tasteful makeup floating behind him who he instantly clocked as Pinky''s avatar. She gasped in surprise that he could see her and he smiled in amusement before he opened his mouth to warn her about something.
Devon finished marking the lines, runes, symbols, and letters with the chalk. The ritual circle the Voidborn had given him was much more simple than what was in Morgan''s book. He lit the brazier, candles, and incense then called out for the primordial. The moon was dark and the clearing around the entrance to the dungeon was near pitch black despite the coming dawn. He was told that this version of the ritual only worked in the time just before and during dawn. It was the first time he''d attempted it though, so he was a bit nervous.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. He could feel the familiar tension but it wasn''t anywhere near as strong as the last time he summoned the primordial. As the twilight began to spread over the horizon, the tightness of the air released and the soft reverberation washed through him just as it had before. The familiar star-like points appeared and soon the faux-canine form loped towards the circle. He knelt down and bowed his head as the false hyena reached him. "Arkanyct. I thank you for you help and the info you have given me. I- " A grin spread across the creature''s muzzle as it cut him off, "you are welcome Child of Time, but I have some important things for you." Devon was confused for a second before he felt a surge of power course through the core of his body. He fell to his hands, his knees already on the ground, and took gulping breaths as the power imprinted itself deeply inside of him. A slight movement caught his eye and he raised his head to see the hyena form of the being who had just granted him a boon shifting. The stars reconfigured themselves and the void shadows within twisted in impossible patterns as a humanoid form took the place of the beast. His eyes widened as a shimmer spread over the form before him and cloaked it in human flesh. Within a few seconds, an archetypal Nari man about 25 years old with empty eye sockets that had blue circles bright as stars in place of eyes stood before him. A smirk spread across his face and he knelt down on a knee to look the stunned Anadru in the eye. The primordial placed his hand on Devon''s shoulder and gently lifted him back up into a kneeling position. "First thing, cut it with the formality. I''m still a person after all. Secondly, you''ll need that boon for the future." Devon''s eyes were glued to the circles his patron had in place of eyes and nodded, "why''s that?" The primordial looked to the northeast and smiled, "because big things have been set in motion that cannot be stopped. We don''t have much time before the ritual is no longer viable. So I will speak quickly and tell you what to look for and how to use the power I have given you."
There was a slight tremor, not physically, but aetherically. Something glinted beneath the mana damp soil and began to gently eat away at its surroundings. A chamber had formed at the base of a hill with a pole of earth holding a little blue marble. The marble glimmered in the darkness, almost creating its own light. The marble felt something. As the dawn light broke the night, the first beam of light struck the marble and a scream was felt emanating from the little orb. A surge of power resonates through the earthy chamber and a tunnel deeper into the hill collapsed into itself, seemingly being devoured by the air itself. The little pole sinks into the earth and the marble is carried into the darkness of the newly formed tunnel on a wave of earth.
Devon - Level Up! [BP Gained - 31] Class [Avowed] Rank Up Class Ability gained - [Pact Blast] Act 2 Prolouge Markus enjoyed hiking. He''d spent a good amount of his life traveling in the great outdoors. Whether it was climbing mountainsides, cresting hillsides, or, as he was at the moment, simply walking through a forest near his hometown. He was heading towards a small lake in the forest that he''d been to fairly often in his life. It had been a few years since he''d been back to the place he was born and he was looking forward to it''s crisp, clear water. As he moved deeper into the forest he unknowingly missed the turn towards the lake and found himself following an unmarked trail that he didn''t remember being there. He didn''t realize that he had taken the wrong path until he came upon a small clearing that hadn''t been on the way to the lake. Upon this realization he stopped and took out his compass to see if he was even moving in the right direction. After confirming he was going the wrong way he turned around and went to walk back down the trail but was stopped by the sound of a breaking branch from the direction of the clearing. Turning to look he watched as a strange creature walked into view, noticing him at the same time. It resembled like a stork in proportion but that''s the only part of it that resembled anything. Long, green scaled, bird-like legs with wicked black talons supported a bulbous yellow-green body with a chicken-like tail. A whip-like neck extended upwards like an ostrich and was tipped by a black fuzzy bulb with two fish-like eyes and a long yellow trunk hanging down from the front. Markus felt his mouth hanging open at the sight of the strange creature as the curiosity lowered its head and centered its body the way a cat would before a pounce. Its trunk snaked upwards and a trumpeting chirp sounded out that only heightened the strangeness of the encounter before a watery fluid sprayed from the trunk towards the lost man.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Markus quickly jumped back and narrowly missed getting splashed with the liquid. The creature took a step forwards and let loose another trumpeting chirp as Markus stepped backwards. A smell caught his attention and he glanced down to the liquid, noticing that the plants coated in it had begun to wilt and fall apart as though it was being digested. His eyes widened and he felt his adrenaline finally kick in, giving him the presence of mind to get him out of there. He turned and ran back down the path, paying no heed to the slowly quieting sounds behind him. He ran until he breached the edge of the forest and practically collapsed into the road. He rested only as long as he needed then forced himself up and moved along the road until he was able to catch a ride back to town. He tried to explain what had happened to the driver but not only did the driver find him crazy, he also couldn''t find the correct words to describe what had happened. All he knew was that he needed to warn others of this possible threat.