Heroica RPG - Quest #138: Fade To Black

[Endgame]

"...I see." is the only reply Gabriel has for that.

[Endgame]

Gabriel speaks, slightly slurring after a mere two drinks. He was clearly somewhat intoxicated.

"...Now that I've outed my name, past, and pedigree - and potentially sunk my career - how is everyone else holding up? Anyone else seeing weird stuff in the fog?"

[Waterbrick Down]

"Not a thing and that's what worries me. I think we could all use a dose of that machine before too long here."

[Lind Whisperer]

"Not a thing and that's what worries me. I think we could all use a dose of that machine before too long here."

"You don't have to ask me twice."

Father Steve quickly shoves the handle to the right, and thoroughly steams everyone.

[Endgame]

The steam fills the room and dissipates.

"Is that the fog repellant?"

[Lind Whisperer]

The steam fills the room and dissipates.

"Is that the fog repellant?"

"Yes, the scientist we got it from took inspiration from the Algon hot springs."

[Endgame]

"...Algon doesn't have hot springs. Do you mean Yukumo?"

At that moment, looking rather distressed, Karie hops into the air, landing with a loud thud.

"...Karie, what was that?" says Gabriel, looking as confused as his brain would allow.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Endgame

[Lind Whisperer]

"...Algon doesn't have hot springs. Do you mean Yukumo?"

"Yes. Apparently the fog's getting to my head a bit as well..." Father Steve sprays himself with the machine a second time.

At that moment, looking rather distressed, Karie hops into the air, landing with a loud thud.

"...Karie, what was that?" says Gabriel, looking as confused as his brain would allow.

"Does she need an exorcism?"

[Endgame]

"Does she need an exorcism?"

"I would imagine not..."

[The Chosen Minifigure]

Warlen, having grabbed a drink, spluttered as he inhaled the fog. Then when Karie jumped up, he reflexively grabbed his weapon and stood up, spilling his beverage. He then proceeded to look around as if he was looking for something.

[Kintobor]

Karie curses under her breath.

"Sorry guys... I'm a bit jumpy, and I thought I heard something..."

[Endgame]

Karie curses under her breath.

"Sorry guys... I'm a bit jumpy, and I thought I heard something..."

"This is a safehouse, so there's no need to be so hairtrigger. Plus, no one else heard anything."

[Waterbrick Down]

Skrall looked at Karie, "You've had a bad case of hearin' things and seein' things since ya went out into that fog. Mind explainin' what ya experienced once and fer all?"

[Endgame]

Skrall looked at Karie, "You've had a bad case of hearin' things and seein' things since ya went out into that fog. Mind explainin' what ya experienced once and fer all?"

"The fog only seems to be getting worse as we get closer to the palace... I've been hallucinating too, but I think I actually managed to beat it. Maybe that's just the alcohol finally taking effect though...

Do you ever get tired of having to be the "straight man" of the group, Skrall, when the rest of us are losing our minds - or in some cases, lost them already? I don't think I've might anyone that has handled a crisis situation better than this besides, well, me. And that was before the fog was doing... Whatever it is doing to my head."

QM Note: A few more hours of RP and we'll move along

Edited August 6, 2015 by Endgame

[Lind Whisperer]

Father Steve finally decided to risk it.

"Pray hold a hand o'er my mouth, my dear Professor, should I start speaking in a racist tongue..."

Father Steve swallows the concoction.

[Endgame]

Even with his immunity shattered, it seemed Gabriel's alcohol tolerance was still unnaturally high, because Lind instantly knew just how strong of a beverage it was as soon as he gulped it down. Before long it would go straight to his head... After a few minutes, he already began to feel drowsy, and it would only get worse from there.

"If you glue on another hat, I'm not tearing it off."

[Lind Whisperer]

Even with his immunity shattered, it seemed Gabriel's alcohol tolerance was still unnaturally high, because Lind instantly knew just how strong of a beverage it was as soon as he gulped it down. Before long it would go straight to his head... After a few minutes, he already began to feel drowsy, and it would only get worse from there.

"If you glue on another hat, I'm not tearing it off."

"I...glurgh, love you too...buddy..." Father Steve, trying to fight off the drowsiness, forced himself to start trotting round the room. "Any...any*hic*where I could get a glass of water? Or a barrel..."

[JimBee]

"You. To be honest, since your current Heroica record showed so few quests - namely, zero - I tried convincing Faust to not hire you, because of lack of experience. So no. I've only been with this group for a few days. i don't know if anyone here can handle themselves. All I know is the rest had track records that backed them up and you didn't. No offense o you or your skills in combat; I'm just looking at numbers here."

Jinnipher gets the feeling there was another reason not even Gabriel was fully aware of.

"Why I'm so weird? My father was mentally ill and knocked up a lab assistant. Might've been drugs or alcohol involved, I don't know. Imagine me, but with violent mood swings and the occasional speech impediment. That was how my biological father was. I could've ended up like him. Glad I didn't. He couldn't handle the son he had accidentally procreated, and had me sent to adoptive parents, tried to forget me instantly. Bastard. Brilliant man, at the very least - very prolific inventor in Charis at the time. So good they chased him out, because the technology he made was indistinguishable from witchcraft."

Gabriel hesitates.

"His name was Royce Cour."

"My experience goes far beyond what those records say, and even those are out of date. I was in Heroica long before anyone else here. Faust picked me for a reason, and there must have been a reason why you let him. Not that I care, of course."

Jinnipher crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air.

"Look, you'd better get your act together here, Sandman. Ever since that mask came off you've been acting strange. Which is to say that you've been acting like a normal human being. It's not good for the mission. Put the drink down and get some rest, we can't afford to have you intoxicated when the time comes to strike."

"The fog only seems to be getting worse as we get closer to the palace... I've been hallucinating too, but I think I actually managed to beat it. Maybe that's just the alcohol finally taking effect though...

Do you ever get tired of having to be the "straight man" of the group, Skrall, when the rest of us are losing our minds - or in some cases, lost them already? I don't think I've might anyone that has handled a crisis situation better than this besides, well, me. And that was before the fog was doing... Whatever it is doing to my head."

"The fog hasn't bothered me since Karie and I went in it. We have the Puffy machine, so I think it's all in your head."

[Lind Whisperer]

"My experience goes far beyond what those records say, and even those are out of date. I was in Heroica long before anyone else here. Faust picked me for a reason, and there must have been a reason why you let him. Not that I care, of course."

"Faust, good honest Faust, locker-up-of draaaagons, is a king, kid. Klings do whatever they want..."

Jinnipher crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air.

"Look, you'd better get your act together here, Sandman. Ever since that mask came off you've been acting strange. Which is to say that you've been acting like a normal human being. It's not good for the mission. Put the drink down and get some rest, we can't afford to have you intoxicated when the time comes to strike."

"Hey!" Father Steve held up his hand. "This guy...this guy is awesome." He patted Gabriel on the back. "Don't start...ins'ltin...him..."

[Waterbrick Down]

"The fog only seems to be getting worse as we get closer to the palace... I've been hallucinating too, but I think I actually managed to beat it. Maybe that's just the alcohol finally taking effect though...

Do you ever get tired of having to be the "straight man" of the group, Skrall, when the rest of us are losing our minds - or in some cases, lost them already? I don't think I've might anyone that has handled a crisis situation better than this besides, well, me. And that was before the fog was doing... Whatever it is doing to my head."

"Get tired of who I am?" Skrall took out his equipment and began to make sure everything was in order. "I don't know about ya losing your minds, obviously somethin's cooked you up in the head by the way ya keep goin' on about it and Karie's really the only other one who's been 'seein'' stuff. Lind may be a little off his rocker, Warlen a little quiet, and Jinnipher's got her complex, but I think we're doin' all right without runnin' around actin' like hens with our heads cut off. I've been in worse situations than this, I've seen the atrocities of war, I've looked into the void, fought demons, abominations, and more terrifying monsters than this dragon, things always work themselves out in due time if yer patient enough."

[Endgame]

Merlay rolls er eyes, marches upstairs, and gets Lind a bucket and glass of water.

"Whatever the hell you just gulped down, drink some water and vomit it back up before the execution starts."

"My experience goes far beyond what those records say, and even those are out of date. I was in Heroica long before anyone else here. Faust picked me for a reason, and there must have been a reason why you let him. Not that I care, of course."

Jinnipher crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air.

"Look, you'd better get your act together here, Sandman. Ever since that mask came off you've been acting strange. Which is to say that you've been acting like a normal human being. It's not good for the mission. Put the drink down and get some rest, we can't afford to have you intoxicated when the time comes to strike."

"The fog hasn't bothered me since Karie and I went in it. We have the Puffy machine, so I think it's all in your head."

"You try going thirty one years without feeling a damn thing, wake up one morning in a hotel room in a devastated town in a devastated country, and realize for the first time in your life that you don't want the people around you to die."

Gabriel puts down the drink anway, looking at Lind slur.

"...I sound like a sentimental idiot. But, just... don't call me Sandman anymore. Gabriel is fine. And yes, it is all in my head. That's the point."

"Get tired of who I am?" Skrall took out his equipment and began to make sure everything was in order. "I don't know about ya losing your minds, obviously somethin's cooked you up in the head by the way ya keep goin' on about it and Karie's really the only other one who's been 'seein'' stuff. Lind may be a little off his rocker, Warlen a little quiet, and Jinnipher's got her complex, but I think we're doin' all right without runnin' around actin' like hens with our heads cut off. I've been in worse situations than this, I've seen the atrocities of war, I've looked into the void, fought demons, abominations, and more terrifying monsters than this dragon, things always work themselves out in due time if yer patient enough."

"...You're right. But I think we need more than patience tonight. Someone will kill Vorpalis eventually, no doubt about that. May take years, decades, though. It's our job to make sure he dies tonight."

Sandman stand sup with a slight stagger, and heaves up his handcannon.

"We should probably set out very, very soon."

[Lind Whisperer]

"And the Skrall-man? Every*hic*one loves the Skrall-man. The Skrall-man is awesome...you don't get cooler than the Skrall-man..."

Merlay rolls er eyes, marches upstairs, and gets Lind a bucket and glass of water.

"Whatever the hell you just gulped down, drink some water and vomit it back up before the execution starts."

"Many...hic...thanks..." Father Steve starts gulping the water down, swallow by swallow.

[Kintobor]

Skrall looked at Karie, "You've had a bad case of hearin' things and seein' things since ya went out into that fog. Mind explainin' what ya experienced once and fer all?"

Karie shuffles uncomfortably, looking tired. She motions Skrall to come closer, wanting to speak to him, and only him. "... It's this manipulative little prick who... managed to hex me and torment the hell out of me on my first quest. He's been showing up and tormenting me, and now he's trying to... condition me to be his little puppet." Karie looks away from Skrall, feeling humiliated. "And it's working."

"The fog only seems to be getting worse as we get closer to the palace... I've been hallucinating too, but I think I actually managed to beat it. Maybe that's just the alcohol finally taking effect though..."

"...how?"

Edited August 6, 2015 by Kintobor

[Endgame]

"I already told you my hallucination, like I was trapped in a cage. And I just walked through the bars. And when the jail warden pulled a blade on me, I let him impale me. And for a few seconds, it hurt. It hurt like hell. But they're incorporeal. They don't even exist."

Gabriel shrugs.

"Maybe I'm wrong. The bars could fall down at any second, and I could become more of wreck. But they can't actually harm you. They can threaten you all they like, but they can't fulfill those threats."

[Waterbrick Down]

Karie shuffles uncomfortably, looking tired. She motions Skrall to come closer, wanting to speak to him, and only him. "... It's this manipulative little prick who... managed to hex me and torment the hell out of me on my first quest. He's been showing up and tormenting me, and now he's trying to... condition me to be his little puppet." Karie looks away from Skrall, feeling humiliated. "And it's working."

"Wasn't that like three years ago? And I would of thought yer party dealt with him back then." The ogre's expression softened, "Can't imagine all this worryin' doin' any good fer yer little one. What about the vaporizin' machine, I thought ya had a good dose of the stuff?"