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It was inevitable

15 (42.9%)

Winners don't do drugs

6 (17.1%)

I'll be back

2 (5.7%)

Drink the Kool Aid

6 (17.1%)

Groovy

3 (8.6%)

Insane in the membrane

3 (8.6%)

Total Members Voted: 35

[Parisbre56]

Alan, Balloons

Alan's a relatively relaxed individual, so he just kinda accepts and goes with being 99 red balloons all of a sudden. And he can't reasonably be expected to remember every friend he's ever made, so this girl clearly must be one of them.

"I'm more than one balloon, remember? It's a pop song reference. Anyway, not much, just happening by. You got any more of those milkshakes? I don't have a mouth right now, but they're tasty."

((Well, if someone more sane had injected magical Kool aid to their eyes they could see something more-... Hold on a second, I just realized how weird that sentence sounds.))

"I'm more than one balloon, remember? It's a pop song reference."
"Indeed. I remember from last time."
"You got any more of those milkshakes? I don't have a mouth right now, but they're tasty."
"No, I'm sorry. I can't give you any. They've been making me work so hard lately. I've worked up quite the appetite. I need every milkshake they bring me."
She pauses hey drinking, gets up and looks at you (that is, the you that is closest to her) more closely.
"Besides, I don't know who you are. I can't just trust a stranger like that. Not after what happened last time. Maybe I should just pop you right now."

[Harry Baldman]

Campaign, Ike!

"Thanks for the offer, but unless you'd like to join our entourage we're probably not gonna be doing the gathering for a while yet. If you do wanna join our entourage though, I'd definitely promise you first dibs on doing the Dark portion of the ritual."

Ask if Grim would like to join the party, seems like a trustworthy sort. Accept goodies, hand over the WMD, make checklist:

Spoiler: Alan's Resurrection Checklist (click to show/hide)

- Focus for the soul (eyes, possibly something else as well), check!
- Powerful dark mage, maybe check?
- Powerful order mage
- (Optional) Water-aligned resurrection spot, for example a Nexus of Water

Then return to the rest of the party so we can get back to the quest at hand.

[GigaGiant]

Stephano Falcone

Too many things could go wrong here. Better play it safe.

Check the front door and lock it if I can. Check all of the building's other entrances and windows. Lock or secure them as much as possible. Afterward, go wake up Iris and tell her about the suspicious vehicle. Ask her if she knows them.

If at any point I hear people outside the house, then stop whatever I'm doing, position myself behind cover, and ready my gun. If someone enters the house, observe them from cover. Only fire at them if they seem hostile. Aim for non vital organs.

[Xantalos]

Alan, Introductions Master

"Oh, you don't know who I am? I thought you did and my brain tubes were just taking a while to catch up with me. In that case..."

Alan attempts to form his balloon self into a smiley face.

"Fantiddlytastic to meet you, strange pseudo-anime metaphor girl! I'm Alan the Amazing, and when I'm not a bunch of balloons I can throw practically infinite milkshake all over the place - and I don't even mean like in a really weird sex metaphor, I'm talking them good diner milkshakes, baby! Therefore, since you need all the milkshakes you can get and I am the premiere milkshake provider in this here plane of reality or metaphorical dream sequence or whatever this is, I propose we become best friends starting immediately. It'll be great -
 Squeaky Alan Balloon and Graveyard City Anime Girl, fighting crime with slapstick and jarring amounts of mood whiplash!"

Get distracted from what I came here to do, become friends with Metaphorical Anime Dark City Milkshake Girl.

[Sir Elventide]

"Oh. That sounds interesting. Myself I can win on any card game there is, no matter the odds. I can also work miracles with cards."
In order to demonstrate his statement, he produces a deck of cards seemingly out of nowhere, though you suspect his sleeves are involved. He spreads the deck and shows it to you, their plastic sliding against each other with a pleasant ease. You notice many of the cards are missing.
"Pick a card. Don't show it to me. Just put it back in there."
You do as he says, picking the 9 of diamonds and then putting it back in the deck. He shuffles the deck with great flair. With a flip he puts the card you picked at the top of the deck, picks it up and shows it to you.
"Is this your card?"
"Merely a few simple card tricks?"
"Who said they are simple?" he counters with a smile.
Before your eyes the card blurs, dissolving into 9 tiny diamonds. You inspect them. They look quite real to you. A few seconds later they dissolve into nothing.
"I can cause any effect I want, as long as it's related to the card in question somehow. Unfortunately, it doesn't last too long and the card is consumed in the process."

♚The Doll Prince: Two Cats In the Dark.♚

Napoleon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Jack's ability may prove useful if the two are ever pulled into a card game, especially when gambling is involved. Perhaps he can use Jack to win valuable items, especially money and a nice rapier? During battle, Jack may be able to summon useful items that will aid them in their endeavors, whether they entail medicine or even weapons. Of course, that would mean that Napoleon would have to do most of the work, mainly by protecting him... unless he can take care of himself. Either way, he and this well-dressed pleb will have to watch each other's backs if they are to survive what lies ahead.

"I look forward to working with you, monseigneur," Napoleon said with a smile as he motioned toward the double door. "Let's be off then. I'll handle the tactical details of any battles we will face." A pause. "Of course, any input will be much appreciated."

Enter the double door with Jack

[Toaster]

John shook his head.  "Ugh.  Blasted thing.  What the hell even happened here?"

Check the black box data.  What happened here?

Also survey the damage to the vehicle we're in.  Is there any hope of getting this thing moving at least walking speed forward in this gap?

[DreamerGhost]

<Svajoklis, Maximus, destroyed Way Station>

I'm quite amazed something managed so much internal damage without it being visible from outside. Doesn't smell like your usual explosives. Let's see if we can scrounge some past here.

Try to get some data from black box into my book.

[Parisbre56]

((Short clarification turn.))

John shook his head.  "Ugh.  Blasted thing.  What the hell even happened here?"

Check the black box data.  What happened here?

Also survey the damage to the vehicle we're in.  Is there any hope of getting this thing moving at least walking speed forward in this gap?

If you mean your car's black box data, then all that shows is from the time you entered the vehicle to the time you crashed. There's nothing fishy about the crash itself that you can see. You overshot navigating the debris field and crashed through a wall, which led into a transfer tube that goes into the Starboard Hangar section.

The vehicle is wrecked. Though much of the damage is cosmetic, it has also affected part of its drive system and its electronics are refusing to operate. Which is not a very big loss, you can always go to a nearby Transport Hub and try to get another vehicle, though the nearest one is back the way you came from.

You could try to rig some sort of vehicle out of the remains of your car. Or you could just walk. You could also disable your boots and push yourself off the walls but that always has the chance of stranding you somewhere in these wide open and gravity-less areas (but not air-less, you actually think there's a small breeze in here). Not that that is a big problem, you can always just throw something to propel yourself, it just wastes time and leaves you vulnerable to anything nasty that might be lurking around.

<Svajoklis, Maximus, destroyed Way Station>

I'm quite amazed something managed so much internal damage without it being visible from outside. Doesn't smell like your usual explosives. Let's see if we can scrounge some past here.

Try to get some data from black box into my book.

The nearest black box is back the way you came from, in a nearby transport hub, back the way you came from. It might have some info on what happened in the Way Station. Wanna go there? Otherwise the next nearest black box is located up ahead in the Hangar Section.

Technically the nearest black box is the one in the car you just crashed, but your interface has already collected the data from it and shown it to you. I guess you can always ask your interface to display the data and use your book to absorb them if you want a closer look into them.

[Parisbre56]

"Oh. That sounds interesting. Myself I can win on any card game there is, no matter the odds. I can also work miracles with cards."
In order to demonstrate his statement, he produces a deck of cards seemingly out of nowhere, though you suspect his sleeves are involved. He spreads the deck and shows it to you, their plastic sliding against each other with a pleasant ease. You notice many of the cards are missing.
"Pick a card. Don't show it to me. Just put it back in there."
You do as he says, picking the 9 of diamonds and then putting it back in the deck. He shuffles the deck with great flair. With a flip he puts the card you picked at the top of the deck, picks it up and shows it to you.
"Is this your card?"
"Merely a few simple card tricks?"
"Who said they are simple?" he counters with a smile.
Before your eyes the card blurs, dissolving into 9 tiny diamonds. You inspect them. They look quite real to you. A few seconds later they dissolve into nothing.
"I can cause any effect I want, as long as it's related to the card in question somehow. Unfortunately, it doesn't last too long and the card is consumed in the process."

♚The Doll Prince: Two Cats In the Dark.♚

Napoleon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Jack's ability may prove useful if the two are ever pulled into a card game, especially when gambling is involved. Perhaps he can use Jack to win valuable items, especially money and a nice rapier? During battle, Jack may be able to summon useful items that will aid them in their endeavors, whether they entail medicine or even weapons. Of course, that would mean that Napoleon would have to do most of the work, mainly by protecting him... unless he can take care of himself. Either way, he and this well-dressed pleb will have to watch each other's backs if they are to survive what lies ahead.

"I look forward to working with you, monseigneur," Napoleon said with a smile as he motioned toward the double door. "Let's be off then. I'll handle the tactical details of any battles we will face." A pause. "Of course, any input will be much appreciated."

Enter the double door with Jack

"Ah, how gracious of you."

You open the doors and find a small chamber, similar to the one you came in, the only difference being that there are two sets of boot imprints on the ground. When both of you are in, the doors slam shut and you begin going up again. This one is a bit slower than the last one...

"So. What's with the kittens?" Jack asks, probably trying to make small talk.
"I don't know, I didn't choose it. What's with the quotes?
"No idea either. It's not like I'm a quote guy."
He stays silent for a second, then laughs.
"Heh. Dear God, they're all over the place. Ancient Chinese, the Bible, Criminals, Stand-up Comedians... There was even one from Justin Bieber! Oh, there was this one, I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the platform."

He doesn't elaborate. The walls finally give way to the black void, revealing your next destination. From below it looks like a large modern building, a wide block of concrete with rebar, pipes and wiring coming out of it, disappearing into the void.
"Hm. Next level looks pretty big. I guess it's because there's two of us now."
There is a great metal box attached to the bottom of the building, surrounded by rebar and wiring. Jack points at it.
"Looks hard to get into. Ten bucks says our goal is in there."
The platform keeps moving for a while but from this angle you can't get much more info.
"Looks modern too. I guess I can blend in better if that's true. Don't know 'bout you though."
Your entry point is layer of dirt and stone on the edge of the concrete block. The platform slides through a hole and deposits you in a small room similar to the one you entered. As expected, there is a quote on the door.

Burglars know there's more than one way to skin a vault.

Underneath it is an image of two cats. One is wearing a stethoscope. The other's wearing a balaclava and holding a cartoonish stick of TNT in its paws.
"Huh. So I suppose this makes us cat burglars?" Jack says half-joking.

You open the door and inspect the area beyond. You've exited a small structure on the edge of a parking lot. There's a lot of expensive cars in front of you. Beyond them there's an impossibly high wall, illuminated by distant multicolored lights. You guess you're not supposed to go that way then.
"Hah! Jackpot!"
You turn around to see what has Jack so excited. It's a casino, one of those Las Vegas monstrosities full of neon and spotlights. There's a giant rotating antenna-like structure on its top with the words "Queen's Tower Casino" glowing near its top. A path takes you from the parking to its front garden which is dominated by a gigantic water fountain, the few shrubs and palm trees planted around it looking sad and tiny in comparison. Beyond that there's a red carpet that leads you to the front door. There's a big queue in the front door. The bouncers aren't letting people in, which you find a bit strange. Casinos are supposed to let everyone in so they can take their money, right?
"I bet I could restock on cards there. And get me some Benjamins while I'm at it."
He turns to look at you.
"If that is OK with you, of course."

Stephano Falcone

Too many things could go wrong here. Better play it safe.

Check the front door and lock it if I can. Check all of the building's other entrances and windows. Lock or secure them as much as possible. Afterward, go wake up Iris and tell her about the suspicious vehicle. Ask her if she knows them.

If at any point I hear people outside the house, then stop whatever I'm doing, position myself behind cover, and ready my gun. If someone enters the house, observe them from cover. Only fire at them if they seem hostile. Aim for non vital organs.

You pick up the keys from where Iris left them and lock the door. You also put a chair behind it for good measure. The windows don't open from the outside and are quite small, so you don't think they will be an issue, though someone could still shoot you through them. Let's hope whoever it is wants to take you alive.

That done, you go and wake up Iris. It takes her a few seconds for her to wake up and realize what's going on.
"What? Nobody's supposed to be here, not this early. Unless..."
She gets up and quickly runs up to the window.
"No, this doesn't look good."
She starts breathing quickly.
"This is bad. We need to get out of here."
She moves towards the kitchen and starts moving the kitchen table.
"Okay. Come with me. There's a trapdoor underneath."
You hear a sound on the door, like someone is trying to slowly turn the knob. You're running out of time.

Campaign

Campaign, Ike!

"Thanks for the offer, but unless you'd like to join our entourage we're probably not gonna be doing the gathering for a while yet. If you do wanna join our entourage though, I'd definitely promise you first dibs on doing the Dark portion of the ritual."

Ask if Grim would like to join the party, seems like a trustworthy sort. Accept goodies, hand over the WMD, make checklist:

Spoiler: Alan's Resurrection Checklist (click to show/hide)

- Focus for the soul (eyes, possibly something else as well), check!
- Powerful dark mage, maybe check?
- Powerful order mage
- (Optional) Water-aligned resurrection spot, for example a Nexus of Water

Then return to the rest of the party so we can get back to the quest at hand.

"Nah, I'm not joining you guys. I'll stick with the Boss. The job is good and I hate being out here more than I have to. I was just offering some help cause I'd love to try casting this sort of spell or at least seeing it with my own eyes. ... Though, if you are going to try casting it soon, I could stick around for a while. Maybe gather some more information for the Boss while I'm at it. I mean, we're not in any hurry to get this thing back to him."

Depending on your answer, Grim may temporarily join the party.

That done, you can get back to the others. If you went with the guy with the horse you could get there and join them right now, you'd just be leaving the rest of the team behind to get there on foot. Otherwise it will take about a day to get there, which means you just have to wait for them to end their current day. Or I'll just move time forward if nothing happens after a while, don't want to leave you waiting doing nothing.

Alan, Introductions Master

"Oh, you don't know who I am? I thought you did and my brain tubes were just taking a while to catch up with me. In that case..."

Alan attempts to form his balloon self into a smiley face.

"Fantiddlytastic to meet you, strange pseudo-anime metaphor girl! I'm Alan the Amazing, and when I'm not a bunch of balloons I can throw practically infinite milkshake all over the place - and I don't even mean like in a really weird sex metaphor, I'm talking them good diner milkshakes, baby! Therefore, since you need all the milkshakes you can get and I am the premiere milkshake provider in this here plane of reality or metaphorical dream sequence or whatever this is, I propose we become best friends starting immediately. It'll be great -
 Squeaky Alan Balloon and Graveyard City Anime Girl, fighting crime with slapstick and jarring amounts of mood whiplash!"

Get distracted from what I came here to do, become friends with Metaphorical Anime Dark City Milkshake Girl.

((Speaking of Magical Girls, have you checked out Syvarris' Magical Girl Game? I just laughed imagining Alan in it, acting like Alan while believing he totally is a magical girl.))

The you closest to her turns into a balloon with a smiley face on it. She laughs.
"You're funny, little balloon."
Her smile fades. She looks at you thoughtfully for a few more seconds
"I'm still not sure if I should trust you. But I could use some help. And you sound quite helpful. What do you say? Will you help me float out of here and give me milkshakes if I tie all of you together?"

[Harry Baldman]

Campaign, Ike!

"Prolly wanna cast it as soon as possible, and if you have any idea as to where we'd be able to find a powerful Order mage that'd be nifty too. I don't like the idea of Alan permeating the entire world, I've seen what he does to his own body."

I'd love to take Grim along! Especially if he can help me cast dark magic!

... do we happen to have a suitably powerful order mage in the party? I kind of forget at this point.

That said, we travel together even if it takes a bit. Don't want anyone going missing.

[DreamerGhost]

<Svajoklis, Maximus, destroyed Way Station>

((Ah, thanks))

"Well, with all the debri, we may as well try walking. We have what to watch out for without also adding metal chunks trying to tear our limbs off. And as much as I wish to know what happened, I want to keep the rest of my blood in me more."

Start walking forward.

[Xantalos]

Alan, Helpful Swarm of Balloons

"Heck yeah, we'll be like that guy and his house in Up, only less depressing and our ages are vastly different compared to him. It'd probably be helpful for me to get tied together anyhow, this high up the wind might blow part of me away."

Gather myself together in front of Magical Milkshake Girl as best I can.

((I have not, but that is a hilarious image that I want to try to make a reality in this game at some point.))

[Toaster]

John, Inside the Maximus

John sighed.  If only his power wasn't so hindered...  "Yes, you're right.  Let's go."


Walk on.  Try to slowly- slowly!- summon some targeting goggles like I always do.  See if focusing on doing summoning slowly will avoid most of the pain/drain.  Abort if it becomes too bad.

[Sir Elventide]

"Ah, how gracious of you."

You open the doors and find a small chamber, similar to the one you came in, the only difference being that there are two sets of boot imprints on the ground. When both of you are in, the doors slam shut and you begin going up again. This one is a bit slower than the last one...

"So. What's with the kittens?" Jack asks, probably trying to make small talk.
"I don't know, I didn't choose it. What's with the quotes?
"No idea either. It's not like I'm a quote guy."
He stays silent for a second, then laughs.
"Heh. Dear God, they're all over the place. Ancient Chinese, the Bible, Criminals, Stand-up Comedians... There was even one from Justin Bieber! Oh, there was this one, I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the platform."

He doesn't elaborate. The walls finally give way to the black void, revealing your next destination. From below it looks like a large modern building, a wide block of concrete with rebar, pipes and wiring coming out of it, disappearing into the void.
"Hm. Next level looks pretty big. I guess it's because there's two of us now."
There is a great metal box attached to the bottom of the building, surrounded by rebar and wiring. Jack points at it.
"Looks hard to get into. Ten bucks says our goal is in there."
The platform keeps moving for a while but from this angle you can't get much more info.
"Looks modern too. I guess I can blend in better if that's true. Don't know 'bout you though."
Your entry point is layer of dirt and stone on the edge of the concrete block. The platform slides through a hole and deposits you in a small room similar to the one you entered. As expected, there is a quote on the door.

Burglars know there's more than one way to skin a vault.

Underneath it is an image of two cats. One is wearing a stethoscope. The other's wearing a balaclava and holding a cartoonish stick of TNT in its paws.
"Huh. So I suppose this makes us cat burglars?" Jack says half-joking.

You open the door and inspect the area beyond. You've exited a small structure on the edge of a parking lot. There's a lot of expensive cars in front of you. Beyond them there's an impossibly high wall, illuminated by distant multicolored lights. You guess you're not supposed to go that way then.
"Hah! Jackpot!"
You turn around to see what has Jack so excited. It's a casino, one of those Las Vegas monstrosities full of neon and spotlights. There's a giant rotating antenna-like structure on its top with the words "Queen's Tower Casino" glowing near its top. A path takes you from the parking to its front garden which is dominated by a gigantic water fountain, the few shrubs and palm trees planted around it looking sad and tiny in comparison. Beyond that there's a red carpet that leads you to the front door. There's a big queue in the front door. The bouncers aren't letting people in, which you find a bit strange. Casinos are supposed to let everyone in so they can take their money, right?
"I bet I could restock on cards there. And get me some Benjamins while I'm at it."
He turns to look at you.
"If that is OK with you, of course."

((If Alan ever joins a Magical Girl game, it'll end up becoming The Jackass Movie: Madoka Magica Edition. Insanity will do everyone in before their grief seeds or the witches do.))

♚The Doll Prince: What Happens in the Queen's Tower Casino...♚

Napoleon smiled inwardly. Though Jack is quite a talkative fellow, he certainly shows that he is capable of looking up to his betters, mainly the Doll Prince himself, for permission. Though Napoleon always have a desire for more wealth, he was more intrigued by two things: the quote by James Chiles and its accompanying images and the casino itself. If his previous suspicions still holds true then not only is he still being tested but this one requires him and Jack to break open a safe that could be inside the casino itself and retrieve the items inside. Though Napoleon had already straddled that fine line between being a nobleman and a thief just to stay afloat during his 200+ years long lifespan, he'd never attempted the bigger stuff before since he still has standards after all. However, he doesn't know what sort of morality if any is applicable in this eldritch realm so he decided to cross that bridge when he gets to it.

The next intriguing thing is the casino itself. Much like its Earth-like counterparts in various places, particular the so-named 'Sin City', its flashing lines and sign seem to warmly beckon the foolhardy and wasteful with dreams of quick riches, only to turn them into obsessive addicts with broken dreams and empty pockets. The House truly wins each time and even a jackpot may encourage more fools to try their hand at a 'heightened' advantage, continually filling its coffers with the pocket change of the gullible proles and the wealth of the naive bourgeoisie. Napoleon personally hates that kind of gambling, not because of any moral objection he may have but because any odds he thought he have complete control of will ultimately serve the system in the end. Only a fool plays along guidelines their opponents give them.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary save for the long line and the bouncers not permitting entry. Either the establishment isn't open yet or the bouncers are expecting someone to arrive soon...

"I suppose that a bit of entertainment can't harm us, maybe even be enlightening," Napoleon said with a shrug. "First, let cut the line. We at the very least look the part of obnoxious snobs."

Walking with Jack, Napoleon made it to the line and begin pushing their way to the front of the line, ignoring the people's protests.

"Excusez nous, coming through! Move aside, your betters are approaching! Make way plebs, make way! Careful with the outfit! It costs more than your children's college funds combined, which you are no doubt planning on blowing tonight anyway like a totally responsible adult!"

Making it to the front of the line, Napoleon met the bouncers' icy glares with a steadfast, almost regal pose. Hoping that he was leaving a strong enough impression on them, he spoke, "As you are no doubt aware, we are honored guests here at the Queen's Tower Casino. If you don't mind, please allow us entry as well as these..." Napoleon motioned dismissively to the masses behind him and Jack. "...people. No doubt that the Casino has need of our patronage."

Attempt to bullshit our way into the casino... like a BOSS!

[Tiruin]

Theri; Campaign.

On the edge of getting Murder'd...

As she carried River with her, Theri surmised that it would be a bad idea to use any kind of magic; River, however, was someone innately...magical, as she wondered--but so was Irine, and the birds back then did not detect them or attack. She could fend them off herself, as they usually were the sort that acted like buzzers, aiming for vital areas and working in tandem with each other, but what mattered more were the other recruits who volunteered with her. They knew the presumable danger, but she was glad that they were also trained in non-verbal messaging.

So she decided to give River a pat, while sending him off back to them, to give the message of certain danger (specifying birds) that she had described back on the trip when they had met Ike and the rest. Either way, it was much easier for one person to scout and not be detected than a group, and it was a lot better to create a distraction by oneself and divert the danger away; she only hoped her signalling training was up to par, because requesting for 'ranged troops' with close melee support could be easily mixed up in gestures.

Send River back to warn the other recruits; order them all to head back (River's choice though on what he does), while Theri goes ahead, and away from the direction of her people, to scout out the birds--she moves away and to a different location (like, tracing a perimeter but moving away from the location of where you came from to disorient the ambushers) while trying her best to gain better intelligence on the situation.