Xantolos - The Tower
The big man rises and paces the floor, his eyes still down even as he speaks to you. Its my wife. You cock your head in surprise and concerned interest, but remain silent. He keeps talking without giving any sign that he noticed. She's gone missing. She was.. in the forest.. Your head snaps up. Doing what?! The blacksmith spins at you, his face red with anger. Thats none of your concern! You frown and his features soften. He throws up his hands. Look.. Can you please just find her? She went missing somewhere on the nearest side of the Deep Wood. I don't know how far she ventured into it, and you're the only one I know who could find her. The other villagers are nervous, they believe that the ancient evil has returned to our world. Others have gone missing as well, and the elders fear that it could be the dawn of a new age of darkness. You sit quietly for several minutes, considering his words, then.. You rise quickly without saying a word, ignoring Batsuzo's stunned gaze and striding through the open door. You walk into the street, pulling yourself up and onto your waiting steed and wheeling it to face the Deep Wood. The blacksmith runs into the street, his face twisted with anger and desperation. Watcher! Promise me! Promise me you'll find her!! You meet his gaze sidelong and your eyes darken. I will try to find your wife, but understand this: Greater concerns will arise during my search. I owe myself to the protection of the lives of the many, and if it happens that your wife is not among them, then it is out of my hands. I will make you no promises old friend.. You kick your heels into the brown-coated horse's powerful flanks and it tears forward into a sprint that sends earth showering in every direction with every step. Batsuzo slumps to his knees and watches the galloping shape disappear into the distance.
Your horse walks leisurely along the dirt path leading into the heart of the forest. Your calm pace says nothing of the horrors that are known to dwell within the Deep Wood, and you keep a sharp eye out for anything out of the ordinary. The path ends shortly and you dismount your horse and turn him around, removing your satchel and giving him a sharp slap on the rump to get him running. He'll find his own way back to the village, and you turn around to continue on foot.
You've no leads on where exactly to start looking first, so any place should do to begin your search. How should you go about this?
Pufferfish - Epidemic
You stagger backwards and into the hallway, pushing the man's body back inside with one foot and pulling the door shut behind you. You hold your breath while you clean the interior of your mask off and replace it, then jump suddenly as you hear something slam into the door. You watch as the wood creaks with strain as the thing pushes against the door from the inside. You glance quickly in either direction. To the left is another stairwell protected by a metal door, just like the one you came in here from, but you have no idea what sort of condition its in, as well as one wooden door leading to another hotel room. To the right is a long stretch of hallway lined with the doors you previously opened, including the one with a hole leading to the ground floor, and at the end the stairwell which you came from. You have no idea what lies behind the doors on your left, or even if they are open, but the safety presented by the ones on your right is certain, though you have no idea how fast the creature can move. If you went right, and it turned out the creature was indeed quick, would it be wiser to take the drop, which you might not come away from uninjured, or the stairwell, and chance being run down? The number of possibilities make you feel dizzy, and you start to feel a bit sick again. You take all this in in moments, and in the next the door in front of you begins to splinter as the monster forces its way through.
SomeStupidGuy - Powder
You remove one of your cigarettes and place it in your mouth. Hugh's eyes light up as he sees you doing this, and he practically trembles when you hand him the other one. You light your match and hold it to your cigarette, and then his. You shake it out and let it fall. The two of you walk until you find the mouth of the next tunnel, take a moment to relax and sit down together against the wall. You turn down the lantern so as to save gas until you're both ready to move on.
Hugh's cigarette flares as he inhales the smoke, and he blows it out of his lungs with satisfaction as he taps at the ashes. That leads back to the main chamber. He nods towards the tunnel before you. We could head there now or keep looking for the secondary lift, but I've no way of knowing if its still intact. Those bugs could've easily torn the thing to shreds with those jaws of theirs. He tilts his head back, staring blankly at the ceiling. Twin puffs of smoke plume from his nostrils and drift lazily in the still air of the tunnels. For now I'm just enjoying this moment of peace.
Pufferfish - Allora
Warm Rags + Leather Overcoat [pack of cigarettes, Terrence the Amorphous Blob, switchblade, revolver (empty)] + B-3 Gas Mask (doesn't need filters), Long Lead Pipe [last seen on ground behind reception desk], Briefcase [in hand; full bottle of whiskey, 4 tins of spam, 10 cans of fruit], Backpack [broken gas mask]
SomeStupidGuy - Finn (Teal)
Loose Cotton Shirt and Trousers [matches, wallet, 3 sticks of dynamite, carton of fuses], Pickaxe [right hand], Gas Lantern [left hand]
Fitzhugh the Miner - heavy shovel, gas lantern
Xantolos - Richard
Light Robes [water flask (nearly full), stoppered glass of oil (empty), dirk, ultra greatsword], Cloth Mask, Soft Boots