Topic: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure (Ended) (Read 190166 times)

Liquefied Spleens · « **Reply #1920 on:** May 03, 2018, 03:34:34 pm »

...And where the HELL is my damned sauce!
It's still busy, miss! Can't we just give it to them like this?
Have you EVER managed to enjoy this piece of meat without at least a little sauce? This meat's dry with the fat cut off, it's like friggin' raisins. Either we have the sauce, or we have nothing!
Yes, miss!
You've been damned busy keeping everything going. As it turns out, the meat wasn't quite as fatty as you expected, considering a decent bit of it needs to be cut away. You still have a bit of it, of course, but some guests just don't want something with a strand of fat by the side (because they are sad and stupid people that do not know what meat is good for.). There's more than enough pig to work with, and the dwarves were rather glad to eat something that killed one of their brothers. Eating the enemy is considered the ultimate insult, apparently. You're not sure what that implies about dwarves that go to war, but you don't dwell on it. Meandra was kind enough to give you the needed spices for your book, too, in exchange for you flying a commercial for her father's company. Easy enough, especially because of the more obscure things you can do with these pigs. Of course, it's not all fancy dinners (mostly is, but ey), there's plenty of bacon and other "basic" foods.
The first part of dinner was an introductory course in the culinary theme of the evening, giving out bread and scarce amounts of pulled pork. You had spent the day before just slowly getting that stuff ready. There was too much work involved in making enough for the entire party, so you rationed it to one basic pulled pork sandwich. You did some extra spices and sauce, though, so they don't feel too bad about that. That stuff is really good, but generally too hefty to use as an actual appetizer. The actual appetizers were small bacon roll-ups, using mostly veggies. Even the ones that "hate fat" were more than willing to chow down on those.

The central stage of the dinner was porkchops, cooked to perfection for the closest family. The rest had a bit more varying quality, as you left those to the guest chefs instead of yourself. You're a capable cook, no mistake, but you can't handle that much at once. Hell, this already stretched your ability to its very limit, and you were grateful a guess was willing to help you turn the chops over. The pig hearts were cut out at the beginning, and kept in jars. Considering you're making head cheese for the guests to take home (those that want to), it's the closest thing to keeping the enemy's head on the shelf. You were glad to hear you could keep the bones, though the spine is obviously used up for the pork-chops. Without the marrow, a lot of power is lost, anyhow. You also kept around a decent bit of blood, though you won't be enjoying much of it. Animal blood is a lot less "appetising", for some reason. Probably magic shenanigans.
After the porkchops, however, you focus on making a palate cleanser. This whole dinner has been extremely one-sided, with nothing but pigmeat and the occasional bit of salad. Using some pickles, and giving the guests some time to digest their food, you continue your work.
You were just cutting up the last of the ribs when the small lady enters the room. All of the assistant chefs instantly stand at attention, as she walks up to you;
You! She says, looking in your direction with a judging gaze.
Me. You deadpan, too tired to wonder what the fuss is about.
You have been very successful up until now, but after this is over I would like you to follow me to the basement for a final job. You will be paid extra if you succeed, no worries. And... You've been doing a good job. Better than I expected.
No problem. You cut the final rib off the pairs, and sigh in exhaustion. You haven't done actual butchery in a long, long time, but it doesn't affect the results too bad. Your necromancy studies are a little relevant to general butchery, and you grew up being able to dress a basic animal.
Goodness this is tiring work, all in all.

By the end of it, you've been cooking for nearly five hours. Fortunately, you weren't responsible for the dessert, and the remaining bits of food were easy enough to be handled by the rest. By the end of it all, D-VA even had enough left over to feed the local homeless shelter. She was happy for the extra goodwill that brings in, and gave you a bonus for work well done. That's 220 bucks, total. But then, of course, you need to visit the basement again. Most likely to evict that lamia, is what you're guessing.
D-VA looks unhappy when she stands next to the staircase down to the basement.
You will understand when you go downstairs. Do know that I detest putting this on your shoulders after your excellent work, but...
It's fine. This shouldn't take too long.
She says nothing as you head downstairs. When you reach the bottom of the stairs, however, you hear a vaguely familiar *Ch-chick* sound of a shotgun getting pumped.
Sydney Aestinus. We meet again.
The drider that kidnapped you is back. And she has a shotgun this time.

Attack!
You're close, you've got a massive claw of death, you're bigger (as of recently), and she won't expect it.

...I suppose we're here to talk.
Again with this bullshit.

Run.
Just don't go in the direction of shotgun noises.

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EDIT: removed the pigs from the minion list. They're dead, eaten and gone.

crazyabe · « **Reply #1921 on:** May 03, 2018, 03:41:57 pm »

Talk!

omada · « **Reply #1922 on:** May 03, 2018, 04:31:48 pm »

blink into soul sight for a second and look if there isn't others waiting for an ambush first

make our cat get prepared to just jump on her aiming arm when we think that she is going to use that shotgun, or when we decide that it's the best time to attack

let's hope the lamia is still here to backstab this creature

initiate talk with "You're here TO SMASH THE EGGS or to kill me?"

get ready to charge

Devastator · « **Reply #1923 on:** May 03, 2018, 04:54:28 pm »

Attack. I'd recommend Necrocloud and giant claw.

Egan_BW · « **Reply #1924 on:** May 03, 2018, 04:54:39 pm »

Eh, just knock the shotgun out of her hands and grab her by the neck.

"Cha-chick? You just pumped that thing when I entered the room. So either you were waiting here with nothing in the chamber, or you just wasted a perfectly good unspent shell. Either way, not a great idea."

Devastator · « **Reply #1925 on:** May 03, 2018, 05:14:35 pm »

(If I remember right, the shotgun was in her pedialps or in place of a pedialp, last we saw her.)

RAM · « **Reply #1926 on:** May 03, 2018, 06:22:07 pm »

It says that we have two pigmoles, did those not get eaten? Unless this is leading into some sort of ability to track the flesh of former undead or something... I suspect that "served as dinner" is one of those things that disqualifies a corpse from undeath.
Also, I thought that she had 4 shotguns last time, I guess this time she has one more, in her hands, which is sensible.

This is a confined space, smoke is probably a good idea. We can see souls and lamia found us from underground, probably some sort of footstep-sense... but we abandoned the lamia the first time so she might not be back to help, and she might not be able to tell two driders apart through the smoke, and this drider had guns all over last time, which would be bad for someone trying to constrict them... I'd love another chance to be besties with the lamia, but I don't see it happening.

But mostly, that pig-blood left a nasty taste. Grab the nearest warm neck and have at it.

Egan_BW · « **Reply #1927 on:** May 03, 2018, 07:09:52 pm »

I MUST HAVE YOUR BLUUUUUUUD!

birdy51 · « **Reply #1928 on:** May 03, 2018, 07:12:08 pm »

This might be a good time to have a mind-leech around.

Liquefied Spleens · « **Reply #1929 on:** May 04, 2018, 04:41:06 pm »

...Another shotgun, I hear? You say, trying to hide your fear. You're not easily rattled, but this woman has FIVE shotguns on her right now, and has at least one aimed at you. You flip on your soulsight as you talk. You see only her soul, and another a distance underground;
I heard you've upgraded a bit. I brought something a little larger, to compensate. Something more dangerous than farm tools, no?
...Right. So, are you here to smash the eggs, or just to kill me?
Eggs? What are you prattling on about, Aestinus? No matter, I'm here to take you in. You've wasted too much time to kill the shadowrunners, though guessing from Snip's actions it was more incompetence than malice. That little orc will take us MONTHS to find, but I'll manage.
So, I'm getting kidnapped again?
Indeed. Hands where I can see them, if you please? Trust me, I don't care THAT much about bringing you in alive.
Slowly, you bring your hands up a little. You're starting to see her a little better, too. The darkness isn't as bad anymore, and she's stepping forward a bit.
You're still not quite as large as her, considering how lanky she is. Not that she is intimidating anymore, after her rather pathetic display in that throne room. She crumbles under pressure. Of course, it's hard to pressure somebody who currently has a trench gun trained at your chest.
What the hell is that thing on your hand, a glove?
Not quite.
Cybernetics, I'm guessing? Hm. I always knew you were too weak to keep it normal. Well then, come forward a little, let's see if you have anything else you're hiding.
You slowly step closer, your hands still raised. She turns on a flashlight, apparently attached to the shotgun itself. She recoils when she gets a closer look at your hand, but she keeps her shotgun aimed at you.
What the HELL is that!? What have you been doing!? Wait... Were you the one that stopped the invasion!? Did you-Oh...
Her face goes through all the expressions it knows in just a few seconds. She seems to be debating with herself on what she should do to you in short order, but she made a little mistake.
She looked away.

Your cat leaps forward, hissing in fury while you spew out a massive amount of gas. Rushing forward, your claw coming down like the wrath of god. She fires her shotgun, despite your cat's efforts, but it won't stop your claw. Your shoulder jerks back from the shock, but you return the favour with a heavy smack. You feel a bone crack from the force, and you both grunt on pain. You only took a glancing hit. As painful as this is, you'll be fine. Your cloud is already doing a little work, as well, and the pain isn't as bad as it could be. Unfortunately, she was prepared for a followup. She grabs the sawn-off hanging from her pedipalp, and fires you dead-on in the chest!
Lifedraining smoke or no, you can't handle that much damage. You fall the floor, not even screaming. Suddenly, however, you hear an explosion of dirt, and see a white tail wrap around the drider getting ready to finish you off. With the element of surprise, and the broken arm, there is nothing she can do as the thick muscle wraps around her and thrashes her to the ground. You can't see anything else, though, as your eyes seem to have stopped working. Oh gods...
You're dying again, aren't you?
Suddenly, though, you hear the sound of the drider struggling so very, very close. You feel her hair around your mouth, and then...
You didn't know you had the strength to do it, but you grab her close and jam your teeth into her neck. It's an entirely instinctual act, at this point, your brain shutting down slowly as the blood leaves your ruined chest. Tearing open her jugular, you suck out the massive amount of blood as her struggling slowly stops. Somehow, you don't die as you keep draining this corpse, and you hear footsteps on the stairs.
Just as you hear some voice yelling something, you completely lose consciousness.

So she'll be alright? Hal asked to the nurse. He had heard it from a policewoman that entered the house. The whole gang is here, all around the special bed for Sydney. It's amazing they had one for her size, all in all.
"Alright" in a relative sense. It's a damned miracle her heart didn't get hit, but her lungs are peppered. And that's not getting into the organ damage, but it's nothing she can't recover from in here.
And the bitch that shot her?
She's in intensive care, getting a blood transfusion. Miss Aestinus was lucky for that bit of vampirism, I must say. Without that sort of healthdrain, she would have certainly died.
Yes, yes. No need to look at the past, is it? It distracts from the now. The little woman said, in a haughty tone. Hal couldn't figure her out. Apparently, she saved Sydney, but she doesn't care at all. Even though she came here? What's her game?
Yes, of course, ma'am. The nurse said, curtly, before leaving. Possibly in a huff, it's hard to tell with dwarves.
Now, the rest of you. You are her allies, correct?
Friends. Yunikki says, or growls, to be more precise. She didn't take the news of Sydney being mortally wounded all that well.
Yes, friends. Well, I see you're all capable people. I was hoping I could agree on something with her, but you would also be fine. Now that their high-ranking operative has been captured under my roof, and me saving your companion, I'm a target. I will pay your little gang quite a bit of money if they could clear this drider problem. Or, at least, get in contact with the most capable shadowrunners in the business. I have quite a bit of capital available to me. Is she the leader of your group? Or can I make the contract with you.
I... I guess it'd be Sydney that controls that, right? Meandra says, looking up from her work. She was kind enough to donate some of her rarer medicinal plants for this. It should speed up Sydney's recovery a little more.

I guess I w-would.
The whole room jumps in surprise, apart from D-VA, at Sydney suddenly talking. She was comatose for most of the night, but apprently that's all she needed.
Fuck... This hurts... Where are my kids?
Keep still! You're still heavily wounded. You'll need some bedrest here, for a while.
I don't feel like I could move if I tried... What am I lying on?
A drider-bed. Of my own design, even! I don't often create furniture, you know, you should be pleased.
It's nice... How does it even...
A few pullies, lots of room, some height to let the human torso rest... It was not easy, but I revel in a challenge. Now, on to the contract. Will you remove this drider threat from this city for me?

...How about we do this after I'm done recovering?
You don't feel that good. You need to have a clear head for this. You're probably drugged too.

Sure, alright ok, whatever?
You're going after them anyway, might as well get paid for it.

No. I don't trust this.
This smells like a set-up. You'll do this yourself.

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crazyabe · « **Reply #1930 on:** May 04, 2018, 04:52:25 pm »

Sure, alright ok, whatever?

RAM · « **Reply #1931 on:** May 04, 2018, 05:16:14 pm »

We are in no condition to discuss contracts, and it is hardly our primary skill. The others, Hal especially, have their own stake in things and we should trust them to make this decision. The contract seems pretty neutral. The objectives and payment should be reliable, though the John is likely, for one reasons or another, to spill everything to the driders when they ask. Not a good job, but it fulfils the criteria, and the driders are on our list anyway so getting paid is... Meh, feeling neutral on this, so let the others decide.

omada · « **Reply #1932 on:** May 04, 2018, 08:26:58 pm »

just say that you first need to recover, but the paid revenge is guaranteed

make sure that if she didn't threw the bones away while we were sleeping don't throw them away and keep those on a bag for us

and ask again for the kids,

maybe the lamia kept them because she is paranoid

maybe the kids is in another room because every doctor do this

Liquefied Spleens · « **Reply #1933 on:** May 07, 2018, 04:29:28 pm »

How about we do this when I can feel all my limbs again... But it's probably yes.
Hm, good show. I like it when my customers bother to read my contracts. She starts walking out of the room as she speaks, though she does look over her shoulder as she walks out with the best "bad bitch" walk you've seen. I don't swindle, but I despise idiots.
And with that, she's gone.
I had heard Diva was an eccentric personality, but damn... I guess some things never change.
You know her? Yunikki says. She looks incredibly tired, somehow. She's still wearing her chains, but at least she changed her clothing. It's not going as smooth as you hoped, but it's clear that she's improving, ever so slightly.
Of course, everybody does down here. She's a genius in fabrics and architecture, and apparently the only reason she didn't go down a level is because she prefers level 3 over level four. No idea why.
So she's a bit of a big shot, is what you're saying?
Yeah, that's the short of it. I really do mean it when I say "genius", though. She figured out some of the toughest materials on the level, and some of her buildings are seriously impressive. Stuff you can't really do with most others, even if they won't exactly say what it is.
Good money, in short... Sydney, how are you feeling?
Like I got shot point-blank by a shotgun. What the... You lose steam for a second. You stop to take a few breaths before finishing that sentence. What the hell do you think?
Yeah. You sound kinda soft right now, too. That'd be the lung damage, I'm guessing. How'd you end up in a fracas like that, anyhow?
Wanted to kidnap me... I disagreed. Figured I had an ally, too.
The lamia, right? We had a talk with her after the police let us. Spoke about how you were going to help protect some eggs? Anyhow, Meandra offered to bring the eggs to her basement, so she's with us for a time. Well, sort of. She's in police custody right now, but considering that the drider that shot you is an outlaw they can't exactly prosecute her, either. I guess they're collecting info on the drider hideout? I dunno... There was a lady in here a little while ago, too, said she was with the police. She told us that she's gonna have to move forward with some plans real fast because of your stunt.
Why are so many things happening while I'm unconscious?
Because you being unconscious is the reason most of these things happened. Obviously. Anyhow, you've got guards outside, too. But, I figure we should leave. With Diva out of here, we don't have long before the nurse will tell us to... She stops talking as the door opens and a meanlooking dwarf enters the room. She's a nurse, guessing from the outfit.
Right! Time to leave. The patient needs her damned rest, and none of you can fire me over it. GIT! She shows them the door with her thumb, and they all start moving. Sucy says that she's glad to see you ok, albeit in an almost sarcastic tone. She hasn't said a damn thing the whole time she was here. She also sneaks you a little pill of some sort.
Take it when she's gone, it'll make you trip for hours.
Why are you like this?
She snickers as she leaves, her hand in front of her mouth in a mocking gesture.

Right. So, miss Aestinus. I'll be your caretaker for the next few days. First things first: where do I put the damned bedpan!?
...Slightly above the spinneret. But I do both my businesses from there at the same time.
Really? Well fuck me...
Didn't we intentionally gloss over this?
The writer didn't know what to do here, dear, just let it happen. Right, so. You're going in for surgery later today, but after that it's just plain old bedrest for you. I'll try n' find a couple of books for you... Ah, and I'll bring your little spiders over a little later. We've been keeping them in the pets room.
This is going to be an uneventful few days, at least.

Skip the hospital stay.
None of you are interested in what happens in the next couple days. We can just skip that.

Keep the hospital stay
We can just relax a couple updates, just talk with people. See how people spend their day when hospitalized. Radio shows and the like.

Switch perspective.
You can switch to another person while Sydney recovers.

Switch stories entirely
We enter an early hiatus where we follow the adventures of a cave spider with internet access(that being you fellas)

Other???
I'll do a lot of things if you just ask right now, tbh.

crazyabe · « **Reply #1934 on:** May 07, 2018, 04:45:29 pm »

Switch perspective: ~~THE GM(Again)~~ DEATH

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Author Topic: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure (Ended) (Read 190166 times)

Liquefied Spleens

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crazyabe

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omada

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Devastator

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Egan_BW

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Devastator

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RAM

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Egan_BW

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birdy51

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Liquefied Spleens

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RAM

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omada

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crazyabe

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