[C2S3] Kai vs Zombie, then through Seventh Gate

[13:50] <Strategist14> !roll 1d20-2 Giclops Initiative
[13:50] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20-2 --> [ 1d20=1 ] | {-1}
[13:51] <Kai_River> Oh cool.
[13:51] <Strategist14> !Roll 2#1d20+7 Titachnid initiatives, imp shares a turn with the second one
[13:51] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 2#1d20+7 -->  | [ 1d20=17 ]{24}, [ 1d20=7 ]{14}

[13:52] <Strategist14> ===== STRIFE! =====
[13:52] <Strategist14> The titachnids are quite far away at first, but that doesn't mean they can't hurt you
[13:53] <Strategist14> Titachnid 1 starts flapping its creepy buglike wings, sending gusts of wind at you
[13:53] <Strategist14> Make a Strength check to stay in place
[13:53] <Strategist14> At disadvantage
[13:54] <Kai_River> !Roll 2#1d20-1
[13:54] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 2#1d20-1 -->  | [ 1d20=2 ]{1}, [ 1d20=8 ]{7}
[13:54] <Kai_River> Well nuts.
[13:54] <Strategist14> DC was 15.  You are thrown to the ground
[13:54] <Strategist14> The ridden one halves the distance between you and it.  Your turn
[13:55] <Kai_River> Is the wind still going?
[13:55] <Strategist14> No
[13:56] <Kai_River> In that case, Kai flies back up to about eye-level with the giclops.
[13:56] <Kai_River> If I were to say, knock him back 35 feet, would he hit the house?
[13:56] <Strategist14> He would
[13:56] <Strategist14> Along with about 15 feet's worth of impact damage
[13:56] <Strategist14> (ie, 1d6)
[13:57] <Kai_River> Not wanting to destroy his own house, Kai just goes for calculating, then a normal attack.
[13:57] <Kai_River> !Roll 1d20+17 versus insight
[13:57] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20+17 --> [ 1d20=14 ] | {31}
[13:57] <Strategist14> !Roll 1d20-4 resist
[13:57] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20-4 --> [ 1d20=4 ] | {0}
[13:57] <Strategist14> Advantage or disadvantage?
[13:57] <Kai_River> Advantage.
[13:58] <Kai_River> !Roll 2#1d20+7 to hit.
[13:58] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 2#1d20+7 -->  | [ 1d20=19 ]{26}, [ 1d20=19 ]{26}
[13:58] <Kai_River> Huh.
[13:58] <Kai_River> Well, 18-20, so +1d4 damage.
[13:58] <Kai_River> !Roll 2d6+7
[13:58] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 2d6+7 --> [ 2d6=7 ] | {14}
[13:58] <Kai_River> !Roll 1d4
[13:58] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d4 --> [ 1d4=2 ] | {2}
[13:58] <Kai_River> Aiming for the big instakill eye, if possible.
[13:58] <Kai_River> End turn.
[13:59] <Strategist14> You stab the giclops in the eye.  Zombie's giclops reels
[13:59] <Strategist14> Her titachnids are unhappy with this process of events.
[14:00] <Strategist14> The far one, the first one, flies as fast as it can towards you.
[14:00] <Strategist14> The closer one, which hadn't knocked you down and had a passenger, is close enough to attack
[14:00] <Strategist14> The titachnid flails wildly with its four legs
[14:01] <Strategist14> The imp helps, with its pillow
[14:01] <Strategist14> !Roll 4#1d20+7
[14:01] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 4#1d20+7 -->  | [ 1d20=12 ]{19}, [ 1d20=3 ]{10}, [ 1d20=11 ]{18}, [ 1d20=10 ]{17}
[14:01] <Strategist14> !Roll 1d20-1
[14:01] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20-1 --> [ 1d20=20 ] | {19}
[14:01] <Strategist14> The imp, obviously, is well-versed in pillow warfare
[14:02] <Strategist14> !Roll 3#1d4+7 titachnid damage
[14:02] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 3#1d4+7 -->  | [ 1d4=3 ]{10}, [ 1d4=2 ]{9}, [ 1d4=2 ]{9}
[14:02] <Strategist14> Plus an additional 1 pillow damage
[14:02] <Strategist14> Your turn
[14:03] <Kai_River> Kai attempts to fly around the giclops' head to be behind him, and then attempts to knock him 35 feet backwards into the two bugs.
[14:03] <Kai_River> Possible?
[14:04] <Strategist14> Only into the bug with the rider
[14:04] <Strategist14> Other one is still too far
[14:04] <Kai_River> Kai'll take it.
[14:04] <Kai_River> Calculating for advantage, because he doesn't wanna screw this up.
[14:04] <Kai_River> !Roll 1d20+17 versus insight
[14:04] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20+17 --> [ 1d20=18 ] | {35}
[14:04] <Strategist14> !Roll 1d20-4
[14:04] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20-4 --> [ 1d20=10 ] | {6}
[14:05] <Kai_River> !Roll 2#1d20+7, amplified by Pushing Strike 7
[14:05] <NotTyche[Dice]> Error: Invalid Expression
[14:05] <Kai_River> !Roll 2#1d20+7 amplified by Pushing Strike 7
[14:05] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 2#1d20+7 -->  | [ 1d20=18 ]{25}, [ 1d20=10 ]{17}
[14:05] <Strategist14> He goes flying.  Roll damage for the attack itself
[14:05] <Kai_River> !Roll 2d6+7
[14:05] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 2d6+7 --> [ 2d6=4 ] | {11}
[14:05] <Kai_River> !roll 1d4 because 18-20.
[14:05] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d4 --> [ 1d4=3 ] | {3}
[14:06] <Strategist14> !Roll 3d6 damage to both
[14:06] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 3d6 --> [ 3d6=5 ] | {5}
[14:06] <Kai_River> Aw.
[14:06] <Strategist14> The giclops and the titachnid both go sprawling.  The imp...
[14:06] <Strategist14> !Roll 1d20-1 acrobatics to not fall and die
[14:06] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20-1 --> [ 1d20=4 ] | {3}
[14:06] <Strategist14> Falls and dies
[14:06] <Kai_River> F.
[14:06] <Strategist14> F.
[14:07] <Strategist14> !Roll 3d6 fall damage
[14:07] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 3d6 --> [ 3d6=6 ] | {6}
[14:07] <Kai_River> AW.
[14:07] <Strategist14> Okay yeah it dies
[14:07] <Kai_River> Knockback is not doing much for me today.
[14:07] <Strategist14> Apparently not
[14:08] <Strategist14> The pillow lands on the ground, completely unharmed and surrounded by glittery imp-grist
[14:08]  * Kai_River makes note to pick it up later.
[14:08] <Strategist14> The giclops rises to its feet
[14:08] <Strategist14> "Don't you understand?"  Zombie asks through it.
[14:08] <Strategist14> !Roll 2#1d20+7 double punch
[14:08] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 2#1d20+7 -->  | [ 1d20=5 ]{12}, [ 1d20=9 ]{16}
[14:09] <Strategist14> !Roll 2d6+7 damage
[14:09] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 2d6+7 --> [ 2d6=6 ] | {13}
[14:09] <Strategist14> The titachnids close in, both of them swarming you with their razor-sharp legs
[14:09] <Strategist14> !Roll 8#1d20+7
[14:09] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 8#1d20+7 -->  | [ 1d20=11 ]{18}, [ 1d20=11 ]{18}, [ 1d20=17 ]{24}, [ 1d20=19 ]{26}, [ 1d20=15 ]{22}, [ 1d20=10 ]{17}, [ 1d20=14 ]{21}, [ 1d20=2 ]{9}
[14:10] <Kai_River> Oh.
[14:10] <Strategist14> !Roll 7#1d4+7 damage.
[14:10] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 7#1d4+7 -->  | [ 1d4=4 ]{11}, [ 1d4=4 ]{11}, [ 1d4=3 ]{10}, [ 1d4=4 ]{11}, [ 1d4=3 ]{10}, [ 1d4=4 ]{11}, [ 1d4=2 ]{9}
[14:10] <Kai_River> DEAD.
[14:10] <Strategist14> You are left alive at 1 HP.
[14:10] <Kai_River> Oh, okay.
[14:10] <Strategist14> She's not killing you.
[14:11] <Strategist14> "I am stronger than you," Zombie informs your bleeding body from three mouths at once.
[14:11] <Strategist14> "I will always be stronger than you."
[14:11] <Kai_River> "Great."
[14:12] <Kai_River> "So now what, I just let you play the game for me?"
[14:12] <Kai_River> "Since I'm so pathetic and useless and weak?"
[14:12] <Strategist14> "I've been the only one playing for a long time."
[14:13] <Strategist14> "You've just been my piece to play through."
[14:13] <Strategist14> "And now..."  The giclops flexes an arm.  "I have more pieces."
[14:13] <Kai_River> "Good for you." Kai spits the words from his mouth.
[14:14] <Strategist14> "In fact, I hold *all* of the pieces now."
[14:14] <Strategist14> "There's nobody else left."
[14:15] <Kai_River> "Then why aren't I dead yet?"
[14:16] <Strategist14> "For two *very* simple reasons."
[14:16] <Strategist14> The giclops grins.  "First, I have no reason to remove my own piece from the board."
[14:18] <Kai_River> "And two?"
[14:18] <Strategist14> "Mmm."
[14:18] <Strategist14> "How do I put this?"
[14:19] <Strategist14> "Your piece is still... not needed, not even close, but... useful."
[14:19] <Strategist14> "Useful for one very particular thing."
[14:20] <Kai_River> "And what might that be?"
[14:20] <Strategist14> Zombie smiles at you with far too many teeth.
[14:20] <Strategist14> Gain 27182 build grist, 8182 T1 grist, 845 T2 grist, 90 T3 grist, and 4 T4 grist.
[14:20] <Kai_River> "No."
[14:20] <Strategist14> "Yes."
[14:21] <Kai_River> "Why should I?"
[14:21] <Kai_River> "My life is meaningless now anyways, isn't it?"
[14:21] <Kai_River> "What are you gonna do, kill me?"
[14:21] <Strategist14> "I could."
[14:22] <Strategist14> "There's nothing left to stop me."
[14:22] <Kai_River> "I noticed."
[14:23] <Strategist14> "But you're going to do it because I tell you to.  I've never been wrong yet."
[14:23] <Kai_River> "You know what? I don't think I will."
[14:24] <Kai_River> "You wanted me to make a choice, and here it is."
[14:25] <Strategist14> "Then, as always with people like you, let the suffering begin anew"
[14:26] <Strategist14> The giclops picks you up.
[14:26] <Strategist14> !Roll 1d20+10 grapple
[14:26] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20+10 --> [ 1d20=19 ] | {29}
[14:26] <Kai_River> !Roll 1d20+2 resist.
[14:26] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20+2 --> [ 1d20=16 ] | {18}
[14:26] <Strategist14> Zombie begins to carry you towards the cruxtruder.
[14:27] <Strategist14> "It's always such a shame, to have to make a choice for somebody incapable of deciding the right way on their own"
[14:27] <Kai_River> "There is no right way." Kai mutters.
[14:28] <Kai_River> "Right is a matter of perspective."
[14:28] <Strategist14> "Perspective is meaningless here."
[14:28] <Strategist14> "Take a step to the left, and a mountain becomes a molehill.  What matters is action."
[14:29] <Kai_River> "And so naturally, that's what you take away from me."
[14:29] <Strategist14> "What can I say?  You were trying to oppose my right way."
[14:30] <Strategist14> The Giclops reaches your house's wall, which disappears in a quick burst of server activity.  It proceeds inside the front room, where your alchemy machines sit waiting.
[14:31] <Strategist14> "Do you remember what I told you about my name?"  She asks you.
[14:31] <Kai_River> "I remember."
[14:31] <Kai_River> "So, how many of us have you taken over?"
[14:31] <Kai_River> "Who's left?"
[14:31] <Strategist14> "Nobody."
[14:32] <Kai_River> "I would hope so."
[14:32] <Strategist14> Nobody looks up at the mention of his name.  He's been floating off to the side this whole time, doing nothing as his namesake implies.
[14:33] <Strategist14> "Now."
[14:33] <Strategist14> Zombie's Giclops takes your hand, and presses it to the cruxtruder's wheel.
[14:33] <Strategist14> !Roll 1d20+10 to sustain grapple while spinning the wheel
[14:33] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20+10 --> [ 1d20=4 ] | {14}
[14:33] <Kai_River> !Roll 1d20+2 resist.
[14:33] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20+2 --> [ 1d20=11 ] | {13}
[14:34] <Kai_River> (oh come on.)
[14:34] <Strategist14> The wheel spins, and a cruxite dowel comes out.
[14:34] <Strategist14> "At some point, Kai River, you need to face reality."
[14:35] <Kai_River> "For someone who really doesn't like my name, you seem to use it quite a bit."
[14:35] <Strategist14> "It's who you are."
[14:35] <Strategist14> "The name is all you have to yourself."
[14:36] <Kai_River> "It's the only thing you haven't taken yet."
[14:36] <Strategist14> "It's the only thing I don't want."
[14:36] <Strategist14> The giclops forces your hands to grab the dowel
[14:37] <Strategist14> !Roll 1d20+10 Grapple sustain
[14:37] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20+10 --> [ 1d20=2 ] | {12}
[14:37] <Kai_River> !Roll 1d20+2 resist.
[14:37] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20+2 --> [ 1d20=5 ] | {7}
[14:37] <Strategist14> You now hold an uncarved cuxite dowel, whether you want to or not
[14:38] <Strategist14> "There are certain things that sprites aren't allowed to do, Kai River."
[14:38] <Strategist14> "Certain things that even underlings are incapable of."
[14:38] <Strategist14> "And a very, very small subset of those two sets of things that overlap."
[14:43]  * Kai_River silently access his sylladex to retrieve The Landmark of Profligate Aptitude
[14:44] <Kai_River> !Roll 1d20+17 stealth.
[14:44] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20+17 --> [ 1d20=3 ] | {20}
[14:47] <Strategist14> !Roll 1d20-3 to see the sudden inexplicable signpost
[14:47] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20-3 --> [ 1d20=15 ] | {12}
[14:48] <Strategist14> You somehow keep a giant signpost invisible.  Don't question it.
[14:48] <Kai_River> "The way I see things, there are two outcomes to this."
[14:48] <Kai_River> "One, you force me to do what you want, and you take over the world, and my life becomes meaningless."
[14:49] <Kai_River> "Two, I kill myself, and my life becomes meaningless."
[14:49] <Strategist14> "The question becomes, then,"
[14:49] <Strategist14> "What sort of suffering will your choice bring you this time?"
[14:49] <Kai_River> "That's a good question."
[14:50] <Kai_River> "Let me counter that with my own."
[14:50] <Kai_River> "Do you still want me to make my own choices?"
[14:51] <Strategist14> "More than anything, Kai River.  Nothing would bring me greater joy than to watch you destroy yourself like that."
[14:51] <Kai_River> "Gladly."
[14:51] <Kai_River> May Kai roll to escape the grapple?
[14:51] <Strategist14> Fire away
[14:51] <Kai_River> With athletics instead of acrobatics.
[14:51] <Kai_River> !Roll 1d20+14
[14:51] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20+14 --> [ 1d20=7 ] | {21}
[14:51] <Strategist14> !roll 1d20+10
[14:51] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20+10 --> [ 1d20=1 ] | {11}
[14:52] <Strategist14> That'll do it
[14:52] <Kai_River> We take those.
[14:52] <Strategist14> Wanna break the giclops' arm while you're at it?
[14:52] <Kai_River> Sure, that sounds like fun.
[14:53] <Strategist14> You put your invisible signpost behind your captor's elbow, and then press your entire weight down on the other side to force it to bend backwards and around.  Zombie screams and releases you.
[14:54] <Kai_River> Kai turns and slowly begins walking out of the house.
[14:54] <Strategist14> You hear the giclops behind you stand back up with a sound like electricity crackling.
[14:55] <Kai_River> New question: May Kai roll stealth?
[14:55] <Strategist14> He may indeed
[14:55] <Kai_River> !Roll 1d20+17.
[14:55] <NotTyche[Dice]> Error: Invalid Expression
[14:55] <Strategist14> You have absolutely nothing to hide behind from the titachnids waiting outside
[14:55] <Kai_River> !Roll 1d20+17
[14:55] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20+17 --> [ 1d20=4 ] | {21}
[14:55] <Strategist14> !Roll 2#1d20
[14:55] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 2#1d20 -->  | [ 1d20=16 ]{16}, [ 1d20=15 ]{15}
[14:56] <Strategist14> You hide behind yourself, taking advantage of LOSAF's natural disinclination to letting things be seen
[14:57]  * Kai_River slowly dons his halo, and grows his wings.
[14:57] <Strategist14> The giclops stumbles outside, followed by Nobody.
[14:57] <Strategist14> !Roll 1d20-3 Giclops perception, on the off chance it crits
[14:57] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20-3 --> [ 1d20=5 ] | {2}
[14:57] <Strategist14> It does not crit
[14:58]  * Kai_River floats to one of the gates.
[14:59]  * Kai_River doesn't care which, just anything to get him away from here.
[14:59] <Strategist14> Roll Investigation as you turn your attention skywards
[14:59] <Kai_River> !Roll 1d20+32
[14:59] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20+32 --> [ 1d20=5 ] | {37}
[14:59] <Strategist14> Prospit is missing from the sky.
[14:59] <Strategist14> That's what's wrong.
[15:00] <Strategist14> You still head through...
[15:00] <Strategist14> !Roll 1d7 gate
[15:00] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d7 --> [ 1d7=7 ] | {7}
[15:00] <Strategist14> That one.
[15:00] <Kai_River> Oh.
[15:00] <Strategist14> Now then.
[15:01] <Strategist14> First of all, take 7 feedback damage
[15:01] <Kai_River> Dead.
[15:01] <Strategist14> Second of all
[15:01] <Strategist14> Gain 6425 XP.
[15:02] <Strategist14> 6435*
[15:02] <Strategist14> There was also an imp
[15:02] <Kai_River> Earned it!
[15:02] <Strategist14> And remember
[15:02] <Strategist14> Levelling up increases current HP along with max HP
[15:02] <Kai_River> Indeed it does.
[15:04] <Strategist14> You experience unconsciousness for only a few seconds of weightless floating before you come crashing back down to earth... er, LOSAF.
[15:05] <Kai_River> Does Kai actually land?
[15:05] <Strategist14> He does
[15:06] <Strategist14> On the other side of the seventh gate
[15:06] <Strategist14> You are now face to surprised face with the elder.
[15:07] <Strategist14> "... Well hi."
[15:07] <Kai_River> "Hi there."
[15:08] <Kai_River> "I don't like Zombie."
[15:08] <Strategist14> "I don't like Quetzalcoatl."
[15:08] <Kai_River> "Who's that?"
[15:09] <Strategist14> "Denizen."
[15:09] <Kai_River> "Oh."
[15:10] <Kai_River> "The big monster?"
[15:10] <Strategist14> "The biggest."
[15:10] <Strategist14> "Hey, Kai?"
[15:10] <Kai_River> "Yes?"
[15:11] <Strategist14> "Do you know what a Class is?"
[15:11] <Kai_River> "You mean like ones in school?"
[15:11] <Strategist14> "I mean like ones in video games."
[15:11] <Kai_River> "Oh, sure, yeah."
[15:11] <Kai_River> "What about them?"
[15:12] <Strategist14> "How many classes do you know of?"
[15:12] <Kai_River> "I don't know?"
[15:12] <Kai_River> "Why are you asking this?"
[15:13] <Strategist14> "Quetzalcoatl and I just had a talk.  A long one."
[15:13] <Strategist14> "I was hoping you'd have gotten here earlier."
[15:13] <Kai_River> "About video game classes?"
[15:13] <Strategist14> "About you."
[15:13] <Kai_River> "Oh."
[15:13] <Kai_River> "Wonderful."
[15:14] <Strategist14> "Basically- may I?"  The elder gestures to the cruxite dowel you dropped when you fell unconscious upon your arrival here.
[15:15]  * Kai_River nods, and hands him the dowel.
[15:15] <Kai_River> "What is it?"
[15:15] <Strategist14> It sits right next to the landmark you also dropped, which is why you haven't died from hearing someone's voice yet.
[15:15] <Strategist14> The elder puts the dowel down on its end, and sits on it.
[15:15] <Strategist14> "Every hero has a class and an aspect."
[15:16] <Kai_River> "Alright."
[15:16] <Strategist14> "They can be a prince of blood, or an heir of space, or a thief of heart, or anything of the sort."
[15:16] <Kai_River> "Blood."
[15:17] <Kai_River> "I remember that."
[15:17] <Kai_River> "Siri told me about that."
[15:17] <Kai_River> "I'm mind."
[15:17] <Strategist14> "Yeah.  Your aspect is Mind."
[15:17] <Kai_River> "And my class?"
[15:18] <Strategist14> The elder chuckles softly.  "Ain't that the million-dollar question?"
[15:18] <Strategist14> "He won't tell me."
[15:18] <Kai_River> "Any reason why?"
[15:19] <Strategist14> The elder shrugs.  "Because I'm not you.  I tried to break the rules, and Quetzalcoatl didn't like that."
[15:19] <Kai_River> "What did he do?"
[15:20] <Strategist14> "Nothing.  But it's like... it's hard to explain.  It's not that he *did* do anything, but it's that he *could have* done anything."
[15:21] <Kai_River> "Alright?"
[15:21] <Strategist14> "And I understood that.  It's... haunting."
[15:21] <Kai_River> "So, he threatened you?"
[15:22] <Strategist14> "I think I wound up threatening myself.  He never did a thing beyond a sentence or two."
[15:22] <Kai_River> "Hm."
[15:22] <Strategist14> "Just..."  The elder shakes his head.  "Can we not talk about it?"
[15:22] <Kai_River> "Is he here?"
[15:23] <Strategist14> "He's just down there."  The elder waves his arm at a wall.
[15:23] <Kai_River> "Down the wall?"
[15:23] <Strategist14> "Not a real wall."
[15:24] <Kai_River> "I see."
[15:24] <Kai_River> "So, now what?"
[15:24] <Kai_River> "Do I go ask him what my class is?"
[15:24] <Kai_River> "Has he been taken over by Zombie too?"
[15:25] <Strategist14> "No."  The elder shakes his head emphatically.  "Definitely no.  She couldn't... she's not that strong."
[15:25] <Kai_River> "She's not?"
[15:26] <Kai_River> "She's enslaved an entire planet!"
[15:26] <Kai_River> "Multiple of them!"
[15:26] <Strategist14> "Only the population that has a specific prototype attached."
[15:27] <Kai_River> "And the rest are just hiding away somewhere?"
[15:27] <Kai_River> "Are they on the dark side?"
[15:28] <Strategist14> "Probably."
[15:28] <Strategist14> "Or like."
[15:28] <Strategist14> "Okay.  Seven temples, right?"
[15:29] <Kai_River> "Oh gosh, the temples."
[15:29] <Kai_River> "Yes, seven."
[15:29] <Kai_River> "In no particular order."
[15:29] <Strategist14> "... What do you mean, no particular order?"
[15:30] <Kai_River> "I've been giving so much conflicting information on what order the temples are in."
[15:30] <Kai_River> "Zombie said gate one led to the second, while the guardian said he was the sixth."
[15:30] <Kai_River> "The temple Zombie said was the third called themselves the first."
[15:31] <Strategist14> "That, uh, that might be a problem."
[15:31] <Kai_River> "Y'think?"
[15:31] <Strategist14> "Okay, basically.  Zombie's fourth and fifth temples, she started taking over.  Okay?"
[15:31] <Kai_River> "Alright."
[15:31] <Strategist14> "Army of computer underlings."
[15:31] <Kai_River> "Wait."
[15:31] <Kai_River> "She said the fifth was done already."
[15:32] <Strategist14> "... Oh yeah."
[15:32] <Strategist14> "It might have been fourth and third?"
[15:32] <Kai_River> "I was at the third."
[15:32] <Strategist14> "Wait no, that was level two."
[15:33] <Kai_River> "She called the level two the third temple."
[15:33] <Strategist14> "That doesn't..."
[15:33] <Kai_River> "No, it doesn't."
[15:33] <Strategist14> "That's eight."
[15:33] <Kai_River> "EIGHT?"
[15:34] <Strategist14> "The one you did before she started, the second and third, two that she's taken, number six, and then... two more."
[15:34] <Kai_River> "What other two?"
[15:35] <Strategist14> "The, uh... this one, and the one with the bed."
[15:35] <Kai_River> "This is a temple?"
[15:37] <Strategist14> "The last one."  You become aware of your surroundings - an unimpressive room, but through little gaps in the walls, you can see a vast plane of glassy obsidian ground - a view that dwarfs the gaps you're actually looking through, but fits within them nonetheless.
[15:38] <Kai_River> "So would that be number seven, or number eight?"
[15:38] <Strategist14> "I don't even know anymore."
[15:39] <Kai_River> "Great."
[15:39] <Strategist14> "You did two, and Zombie has two, and someone else did one, and you said you did one already, and there's still the one we have to go to next, and then there's here."
[15:40] <Kai_River> "I can't actually tell if I've solved one of mine."
[15:40] <Kai_River> "I was supposed to show temperance, but I didn't know how."
[15:40] <Strategist14> "That's probably bad news, but not my point.  That's two, four, five, six, seven, eight."
[15:41] <Kai_River> "Unless Zombie's taken the one we have to go to next."
[15:41] <Kai_River> "That would be seven."
[15:42] <Strategist14> "Raziel doesn't think so.  The quest bed is apparently pretty easy to find, when you know what to look for, and it wasn't in either of those two places."
[15:42] <Kai_River> "Raziel?"
[15:42] <Kai_River> "Does she exist?"
[15:42] <Strategist14> "The nobody girl, yeah."
[15:42] <Kai_River> "Where is she?"
[15:43] <Strategist14> "She stayed behind with my village to message one of your coplayers while I tried this."
[15:44] <Kai_River> "Which one?"
[15:44] <Kai_River> "Who's actually left?"
[15:44] <Kai_River> "Terese?"
[15:44] <Strategist14> "Uh... It started with an I?  I-ih... maybe Ion-something?"
[15:45] <Kai_River> "Iinito?"
[15:45] <Kai_River> "He died."
[15:45] <Strategist14> The elder snaps his paw - an impressive feat when he has no opposable thumbs.  "That's the one."
[15:45] <Kai_River> "Siri said I could revive him, but it didn't work."
[15:47] <Strategist14> "Look, there are so many things weird about Raziel that at some point, you just have to start accepting things."
[15:47]  * Kai_River sighs.
[15:47] <Strategist14> "Talk to her.  She'll know better than I do."
[15:47] <Kai_River> "I have to go back?!"
[15:47] <Kai_River> "Zombie almost killed me!"
[15:48] <Strategist14> "Shouldn't be a problem.  She'll meet us at temple six.  Er... seven."
[15:48] <Kai_River> "And how do we get there?"
[15:48] <Kai_River> "Zombie's taken the house."
[15:49] <Strategist14> "I... don't know."
[15:49] <Strategist14> The elder slumps back against the wall.  "I kind of hoped everything would work out when I found you and Quetzalcoatl and we figured that out when we got there."
[15:50] <Strategist14> "Maybe you have a way to teleport or something?"
[15:50]  * Kai_River lights up.
[15:50] <Kai_River> "Of a sort."
[15:50] <Strategist14> "Yeah?"
[15:51] <Strategist14> The elder perks up as well, with the hint of a grin on his face.
[15:51]  * Kai_River grabs one of the cards for the Black Bag Modus.
[15:51]  * Kai_River places it on the ground.
[15:52] <Strategist14> There is now a hole in the ground that's shaped like a captchalogue card.
[15:52] <Kai_River> "Now, before we go in, do you know which direction we're headed?"
[15:53] <Strategist14> "Uh... no."
[15:53] <Strategist14> "No I do not."
[15:53] <Kai_River> "Well, then I don't know what we can do."
[15:53] <Strategist14> "Well."
[15:53] <Strategist14> "First thing either way."
[15:54] <Kai_River> "This can get us somewhere without being seen, probably."
[15:54] <Strategist14> "You need to talk to your denizen."
[15:54] <Kai_River> "Alright."
[15:55] <Strategist14> The elder gestures to the wall again, then leans back.  He looks troubled.
[15:55]  * Kai_River takes a deep breath.
[15:55] <Kai_River> "You gonna come?"
[15:55] <Strategist14> The elder blinks, confused.  "You want me to?"
[15:56] <Kai_River> "Why wouldn't I?"
[15:56] <Strategist14> "I mean, I didn't DO anything.  I went there all gung-ho, got all of one sentence out of the thing, and then started freaking out."
[15:57] <Kai_River> "Well, you don't have to do anything this time."
[15:57] <Kai_River> "I just don't want to go in there alone."
[15:58] <Strategist14> "I..."
[15:58] <Strategist14> Roll Persuasion.
[15:58] <Kai_River> !Roll 1d20
[15:58] <NotTyche[Dice]> rolled 1d20 --> [ 1d20=18 ] | {18}
[15:58] <Strategist14> The elder takes a deep breath.
[15:58] <Strategist14> "I'll do it."
[15:58] <Kai_River> "Thank you."
[15:59] <Strategist14> "Even if I can't make a difference."
[15:59] <Strategist14> The elder stands up.
[16:00]  * Kai_River quickly takes back the card and the landmark.
[16:00] <Kai_River> "Should I hold onto the dowel?"
[16:00] <Strategist14> "Sure.  My weapon is already in there.  I dropped it when I, uh, ran away."
[16:01]  * Kai_River chuckles a bit.
[16:01]  * Kai_River takes the dowel and captchalogues it.
[16:01] <Kai_River> "Ready to go?"
[16:02] <Strategist14> The elder gets a bit of an indignant expression at your laughter.  Then he calms down, and nods.
[16:02] <Strategist14> "Ready to go."
[16:02] <Kai_River> "Great."
[16:02]  * Kai_River turns to the wall and walks toward it.
[16:02] <Kai_River> "So, do I just walk through?"
[16:02] <Kai_River> "Or is it some kind of puzzle?"
[16:02] <Strategist14> "You don't just walk through."
[16:03] <Strategist14> The elder takes your hand in a paw.  "We walk through."
[16:03]  * Kai_River smiles.
[16:03] <Kai_River> "Thank you."
[16:03] <Strategist14> "If the only difference I can make is showing up, then I can at least do it right."
[16:03] <Kai_River> With a nod, Kai River leads the elder through the wall.
[16:04] <Strategist14> As you approach it, the wall becomes noticeably thinner, developing a sheen of translucency, then transparency, before vanishing entirely.
[16:05] <Strategist14> Boy and consort, hand in hand and step for step, walk into the chamber of the denizen.
[16:05] <Strategist14> Quetzalcoatl stirs.
[16:05] <Strategist14> ===== END =====