Larry, though only barely cognizant of where he might even be right now, tries to get himself over to that crappy hotel he was at a while ago. Fortunately, he seems to be downtown already, and the place he wants to be at is not far off - fifteen minutes proves to be
almost enough to get to the Executive Suite.
The suite looks much the same as it did when Larry first visited it - raygun gothic aesthetic, a little messy in places, naked man with a watermelon-like skin pattern and color sitting down, seemingly waiting for something - it's almost like going back in time.
"Hey, man! Was beginning to wonder if you'd show up! Good to have you here. Better be quiet, though, the girls are asleep," the naked man greets him in a partly hushed tone.
* * * * *
Eta heeds the fine fellow's advice, and looks at the FAQ generously posted on the inside of the shutter.
Q: How do I find block X?
A: Wait in a spot until it comes up on the nearest shaft.
Q: Where's the bathroom?
A: In the blocks.
Q: Is there a way to buzz someone and ask to get in?
A: At the blocks.
Q: Are there any places to buy stuff I want?
A: At the blocks, if someone's willing to sell. Otherwise go to the store, you lazy bum.
That is a fairly short FAQ. Then again, the target audience is probably unsophisticated and difficult to properly confuse.
* * * * *
THE DUNKER has the ultimate unsophisticated answer to the unseemly thirsts of his friend.
[Affinity roll: 1-->3+2]
That answer, it seems, is to inhale deeply, puff up his cheeks and hold a very rigid position for about a minute as mystical arm flailing fails him for what feels like one time too many.
"That's not a very good watermelon impression!" his ghoulish friend critiques sharply.
"Though you do look a little appetizing now. Hm!"The lawyer lady takes advantage of the vampire's distraction and leaves for nicer areas in the meantime, probably feeling like her luck's been pushed far enough. The potato guy has similarly made himself scarce. THE DUNKER, being appraised like a foodstuff, becomes keenly aware that he is now alone with his new friend.
* * * * *
The Observer decides that these magical barbarians can be safely left to their barbaric devices, and looks for something to better fit his tastes, walking off without another word. Surely there's got to be better magic here someplace, he thinks as he turns away and sniffs the wind for abnormal scents.
Hm. There is something in the air, he determines. Something peculiar. Something earthy. And he can hear a very faint tumbling sound, no less. Something calls to him, of that there can be no doubt. Overtaken by a sudden lack of self-preservation instincts, the Observer moves over to the source of these sounds and smells, finding them to be distinctly unnatural.
And wouldn't you know it, he finds a man. A dirty, unkempt man in the woods where civilization seems to abruptly end. Next to him there is what the Observer suspects, but can't quite prove, to be a tear in the fabric of reality, which appears to be disgorging potatoes at an alarming rate. Next to the man, however, stands what the Observer immediately identifies as some sort of dinosaur, though it could just as well be some sort of Lovecraftian monster - it's got four webbed feet, a long newtlike tail, an elongated body, and a very long mouth full of needlelike teeth. Its yellow, beady eyes flash as it regards the man's current actions, which seem to be to take a potato and place it on a rock found nearby. The man makes a minute gesture, and the potato immediately starts changing, its surface growing agitated. Small roots begin to sprout out of it. It looks to be some slow sort of transformation.
* * * * *
John, up for a bit of cleanup now, walks over to his summoned yellow pademelon and grabs it off the ground. The pademelon, being a loyal shield of its master by design, complies without a fight.
"Hey there little buddy, sorry about throwing you earlier. I'll get you some salad or fruit later to make up for it," John tells it, and the pademelon, code of honor and unshakable demeanor aside, visibly perks up.
Joyous at this much-needed forgiveness and validation, John follows Pilton with head held high, walking into a bare kitchen that has clearly not seen any action for over a decade. The air in the building doesn't seem too stale, though. Pilton immediately locks the door behind them as they move along, going for what is very obviously a basement door. Descending the stairs on the other side of the door, the two men come down into a largely empty basement save for a rack filled with ancient jam jars and a rusty bicycle. The floor is dirt, and considerably damp.
Nevertheless, though, John feels the leyline here - it seems to be underground, just like the one in the sewers, and this time without an obvious access point, though John feels like he could reach out mentally and touch it without even the slightest problem.
"Now then, you feel where the leyline is yet? It can be a bit hard if you don't know where it is," Pilton says.
"Not easy to sense from a distance, either."
Author
Topic: The Forgotten Art: Approaching the Nexus (Read 272282 times)