[You're in a corridor made of blood. Eww. You're in up to your knees. The walls and ceiling are blood, too, but strangely not dripping. Time to chase down Mr. E.] [Session Start] * Rei is in the air. Damn your bloody knees! (o/~ Bloody kneeeees / Have got me all a-quiiiveeeer o/~ ) * Chomei has blood up to his knees. He doesn't look like he cares... much. * Asanjya is trudging through blood, looking unhappy but not disgusted. Or digested. * Maria is up past her knees in blood, since she's short. She looks like she's halfway between panic and disgust. (See, we didn't start until AFTER I'd finished Twelve Monkeys. That's only going to be bad for you people.) * Lazar keeps moving down the hallway. He doesn't mind, because, really, making a golem feel icky is like squeezing blood from a stone. * Chie does not look happy. Oh, no, she does not. But she's slogging through. Good thing Reimom no here. Could get ugly. Oh, *thanks*, Laz. * Rei looks at Lazar. "What's that supposed to mean?" Just the images we needed. Look, it's much too late into this to be fighting. Too late? I'm dead! Again! Well, in a cheerily similar fashion, either you won't be dead, or the rest of us will be. I do not see sticking around here alive as much of an option, cosmically. [There's stairs up ahead. Spiral, bloody stairs.] You mom vampyre. We knee deep in blood. Like... what word Sweedes use? Smorgas borg? We're not dead yet. * Rei stares at Lazar for a moment, then she flies up the stairs. "You're still an ass." ( Speak for youself. I dead long time. ) * Chie gives Lazar a Deathglare, then heads up the stairs. * Chomei rolls his eyes. "Let's just go." * Lazar tilts his head, shrugs, and starts lumbering up the stairs. You can easily put your foot in your mouth even when you lack the latter and soon will lack the former, Lazar. * Asanjya heads up the stairs lastish. [Them stairs is awkwards' climbin'.] [You get to the top! The stairs come to a wide room, with a corridor down one side.] ... my foot going fall off? If you continue to chew on it, yes. (I'm slightly confused. A wide room with a corridor down one side? I'm having trouble getting a good mental picture of that.) * Chomei heads up the stairs. ( A corridor in the far wall. ) (Is the corridor separate from the rest of the room? Is there a partial wall? Is there no floor except for the corridor?) * Lazar looks at Asanjya, confused, but doesn't persue it further. (So there's another doorway in the far wall on the other side of the room?) ( There's no door :P ) (Just an opening, then.) ( Yes. ) (Still made of blood, or no?) ( Yes ) * Rei looks around. "Eew," she says, summing it all up. She zips over to the corridor and peeks in. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Rei (2d6) and gets 10. 2d6+2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Rei (2d6+2) and gets 10. [When Rei approaches the corridor, a wall bubbles, and a wooden doll with sharp claws sweeps out, slashing her in the gut.] ( Gimme init rolls ) d6+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Chie (d6+7) and gets 10. d6+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lazar (d6+7) and gets 11. d6+6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Asanjya (d6+6) and gets 7. * Rei screams, falling backwards and into the blood. She's also bleeding! Probably shiny blood. d6+6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Rei (d6+6) and gets 11. d6+8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Chomei (d6+8) and gets 9. (Once again, hosed on the init roll.) ( Re. What'd I miss? ) d6+8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Maria (d6+8) and gets 9. (I got gutted.) ( Rei got clawed up ) ( That's no good. ) Rei! Rei! Dammit! What IS that thing? [Lazar, Rei, Chie, Chomei, Maria, Puppet, Asanjya] [Lazar's turn] Dust. * Rei whimpers and clutches her stomach. * Lazar charges forward, trying to grab the doll and pin its arms. "Get behind, little one!" 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lazar (2d6-3) and gets 7. ( Made. ) [Lazar grabs it!] [Rei's turn!] (How big is the thing?) ( Lazar's height, but a lot thinner. ) * Rei struggles to her feet, oddly stepping *on* the blood, and presses her hand to the deep gash in her stomach. Her eyes are wide, and she's shaking. It glows, which spreads and heals the wound. [Chie's turn] * Chie pulls out her sword and chops at the doll. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Chie (2d6-3) and gets 0. [Chie chops it, removing some chips.] [Chomei's turn] * Chomei draws Rownal and fires at the doll. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Chomei (2d6-3) and gets 5. [Chomei hits the doll, blowing a large hole in it, though it still moves.] [Maria's turn] * Maria runs up to the doll and kicks it, throwing a lot of blood around when her foot moves. 2d6-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Maria (2d6-5) and gets -3, a CRITICAL SUCCESS!!! "I wish I got to hand out more of these, really." ( sw337! ) [The doll totally shatters.] (Niiice.) Interesting. Let's hope there's not more. (Woo!) (Have we been giving her drugs again?) * Rei removes her hand. She looks shaken. "Okay, I am not going first anymore. And I think we're getting close." ... Right. [Two more of them emerge from within the room. One goes after Chomei, the other after Asanjya. However, Asanjya's misses her.] 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Chomei (2d6-2) and gets 6. (Made it.) Curses. Spoke too soon.. [Chomei ducks under the doll's claws.] [Asanjya's turn] Asanjya, you should know by now *never* to say things like that. * Asanjya turns to the one that attacked her. "BURNING FEAR!" 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Asanjya (2d6-2) and gets 5. (Made.) [The doll catches fire! It's burning quickly, but the fire spreads rapidly around its entire form, too.] [Lazar's turn] You'd think I would have learned my lesson from the last time. * Lazar goes after the not-on-fire one trying to grab it as he did the first one before it can slash at his soft, squishy teammates. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lazar (2d6-3) and gets 8. ( ... ) ( ... DR! ) 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lazar (2d6-3) and gets 9, a CRITICAL FAILURE!!! "Your logic is faulty, your intelligence is doubtful, and your sumo is insufficient." ( HA! ) ( >.> ) (*dies laughing*) ( My dicehate REIGNS SUPREME! ) (I am impressed.) ( I've rolled 3 attacks so far. a 10, an 11, and a 12 ) ( That's terrible, man. ) (It's 12:30 and I'm tired. Many things seem amusing to me that normally wouldn't. ;p) (That is Gwen-esque) ( BOW BEFORE MY DICEHATE, MORTALS ) (I would, but I'm not in this game) (Aww, you can bow anyway.) (Wow. That's a lot of dicehate.) (A looot of dicehate.) [Lazar lumbers over to the puppet attacking Asanjya and tries to grab it. But it moves at the last instant. He winds up grabbing Asanjya instead.] (In other words, the usual.) [Rei's turn] Laz, what the hell are you doing? Umm... hi? LaZAR! ... 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Asanjya (2d6) and gets 9. (How close is the non-burny puppet to everyone else?) ( It's right next to Chomei ) * Maria looks like she's about to say something, then decides not to. (Well, so much for more burny. ;P) ( Oh, Lazar, finally! *hugs him back* ... Woo! And ew!) * Rei looks around, then brings her hands up and forms a white light between them. She faces the burning puppet. "Okay, one more shot! Maybe. Disco Nova!" The light zooms forward. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Rei (2d6-3) and gets 5. [It 'splodes!] Yeah! Score one for me! [Chie's turn] * Chie goes after the remaining puppet, slashing at it. 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Chie (2d6-3) and gets 4. [Chie sends wood chips flying.] [Chomei's turn] * Chomei aims at this one and shoots it with his bow! 2d6-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Chomei (2d6-3) and gets 7. (Made) [Chomei shoots it, taking a chunk from it.] [Maria's turn] ( Lazar's turn! *Lazar tries to put Asanjya down and whack the puppet* *CRITFAIL!* *Lazar gets confused, and whacks the puppet WITH Asanjya* ... ) (People have been used as weapons in Arcana!) ( That'd be awesome XD Well, not for Asanjya... ) * Maria leaps to get clear of the blood and comes down foot-first on the remaining doll. (I think she'd be a bit put out.) 2d6-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Maria (2d6-5) and gets 0. ( Made. XD ) [Maria's strike breaks it in half.] [It's still moving, but can't actually do anything.] That's creepy. Geeze. Talk about persistent. Lazar, put me down! They're kinda like zombies that way. Only wooden. Lazar, come grind this thing up. Wooden zombies. * Lazar puts Asanjya down. "Sorry. It moved." Wooden zombies? * Rei nods. Wooden zombies. * Asanjya humphs, straightens out her cloak, and looks flustered. Perhaps even a little flushed. * Lazar lumbers over to the fallen thing and stomps it dead. Does this mean they want to eat our brains, too? No. They'd want... sawdust, maybe? No, just dice you to itty bitty people parts. So I'm gonna guess Little Miss Puppet is lurking somewhere nearby. Your guess is likely correct! The question is, where? Who? [Lazar turns it into sawdust.] The girl from the museum and the tower and several other places. * Rei points down the corridor. "I pick door number one! The only door and possibly the door that leads to our mystery Mister E!" Hey, Chie, didja ever find out why he wanted to rub you out? No. No, we did not. Huh. Okay. So before we kick his ass, or possibly during, I'd like to find out. I going to go first this time, okay? You're getting no objections from me on that. I'm certain he'll slip into a prolonged monologue at some point. Well, I guess if you ask him enough he'll get annoyed and say he's turning this car around right now unless I want to be kicked out on the curb- oh, it's not a road trip. Never mind. Go for it, Laz. * Lazar lumbers out ahead through the opening. Yay, monologue. * Chie makes a face. What's a monologue? A long speech, Maria. * Asanjya follows Lazar. * Rei floats after them. Ah. * Maria follows. ( A monologue is a piece of wood with an inflamed spleen. ) * Chomei shrugs and follows. ( Ohhhh. I see. ) ( Get it? Monologue? Mono-log? HA! I MAKE FUNNY! ) (I got it. >_>#) * Chie goes! If she wasn't already. [The corridor turns after a while, and there's another green orb part way through.] Orb! Does anybody need the orb? I think you're more injured than any of us. * Lazar raises a hand. "No know if it work on me, but... no other way to heal golem." Yeah, I can't really heal Lazar. [Lazar is missing many chunks of stuff.] Even if I didn't think he was an ass. Go ahead and try it Laz. * Lazar ignores Rei, and goes'n grabs the orb. [Maria's slightly injured and a little tired. Chie is moderately injured. Rei and Asanjya are both somewhat tired.] ( But Lazar takes it! ) ( I thought I got an orb last session? ) ( You did. Then you got injured by Tianye ) ( How'd I get tired, then? I'm sure I didn't use my spell. ) [Lazar takes the orb. It repairs the damage done to him!] ( Oh. You're not. I misread ^^; ) (Hehe. ^^;) ( You're just injured, not tired ) * Lazar looks down. "Ah. Much better." ( Well, that's something. ) * Lazar resumes his lumbrin'. * Maria resumes her following. (Follow, follow.) * Rei zooms. And follows! She's talented. * Chomei follows, and stuff. * Chie goes! Because otherwise, she'll be left behind. ;p * Lazar keeps an eye out for anything else trying to jump out of the walls, ceilings, blood, space right in front of him, etc (I ... am drooling.) ( Did someone ring a bell? ) (No. I am falling asleep in my chair. ._.) ( Oof. ) (Eek.) (*snickers*) [The corridor turns, continues, and widens. There's a circular room. On the far wall is another iron-like door with an eye engraving, but the pupil on this one is a skull. The skull is white, and the only part of the door that's colored. There's also a person there. He's a handsome guy with a long ponytail, and loose Chinese clothes. He's also shiny like Rei.] ( That get through? ) ( Yes. ) (Yes.) [He's pacing back and forth.] * Lazar lumbers forward slowly. "Who you?" * Rei points. "HEY. Another dead guy!" [He turns suddenly, studying you intently. Then his face brightens and he rushes towards Chie. He stops just in front of her and bows as low as he can without touching the blood. "Master! Master, you made it!"] ... Master? ...what? ... interesting. Chie, did you have students that died without telling the rest of us? * Maria blinks. Or students that lived, while we're at it? Or any students at all? No. No, I didn't. I'm as confused as you are. I guess we can't really rule out ghosts... ... * Chie looks at the guy. "Uh, hi?" ... well, that unexpected. *mutters* Expected to have to punch him few times before he bow down... * Chie waves in a very confused manner. [He gets up, still smiling. "It's so good to see you again. It's been so long..."] ( MASTER! MASTER! ... I mean... MISTER! MISTER! ) See me... again? But I'm... wait, did you know my previous incarnation or something? I've been suspecting that I had one... or several... but... A previous what? ...no, tell me later. (*realizes who this is and snickers) ( "Yes, Master Vigoda." "..." ) (I don't think that's him, RDM. Chie met him already. ;p) What's your name? * Chie is confused but wary. * Asanjya stands back and observes, frowning. Not that that's anything new. ["You don't recognize me? ... No, of course you wouldn't. You told me yourself that that would be your biggest problem. That's why..." He shakes his head. "Let me explain. I am your successor, Jiang Wei."] * Rei blinks. * Maria blinks. ( :D ) My successor? * Rei ticks stuff off on her fingers. Then she stops and goes back and tries to tick them off again. "Uh... uh. Chie?" Y'know, I'd say that'd be really hard, 'cause you're dead, but... more reincarnation? Uh, Chie. Chieeeeee. Who taught you? Eoi. And? Right, okay. Wei sounds familiar. Why's that sound familiar? ["Yes... I can tell there are parts of other spirits in you... but there's no mistake. You are my master, Zhuge Liang."] THAT sounds SUPER familiar. Master Wei. And... wait. Last I checked, I was not a dead Chinese guy. * Chomei raises an eyebrow. ( You're not? I don't love you anymore!) * Maria seems confused, as one would expect from someone who's never heard of reincarnation. * Lazar has no idea what anyone is talking about, so he busies himself making sure nothing sneaks up on the group. I suppose, in a past life, I could have been a not dead Chinese guy. Who is now dead. And I've got his soul. Or part of it. But Chie, you're not exactly super strategist here. ["Oh, no, there's no mistake. You are my master."] Soul, Rei. Not mind. * Rei blinks. "Oh. Okay." Yeah, they're different. ( Then bow before me, slave! ... ) (Yep! Mind and Soul are totally different stats. ;p) * Asanjya chuckles. "I need to know how to get in on this reincarnation gig. Sounds like a nice loophole." ( *snerk* ) * Chie eyes Wei. "So... you're here for what, exactly, aside from informing me of a past life?" * Rei looks to Asanjya. "We really should look into it. I mean, with the Heavens and the Hells and Purgatories and Limbos, and then reincarnation on top of it all, not to mention the undead and ghosts and stuff, how's it decided who goes where?" ["Just before you died at Wu Zhang, you predicted this; the end of the world in this year. You said you knew a way to stop it. But you don't have any of your previous memories. So, when I died, I resolved not to move on from this place until I could see you again and remind you of who you were."] Sounds like an intriguing business plan. * Asanjya blinks. "Back up a minute. The end of the world is still imminent?" And give me those memories about stopping the end of the world, I hope? 'Cause that'd be really helpful. Hey, wait! I thought we already stopped Lucifer's unholy rise to the world! [He nods. "Yes. Just now a group passed here. They aren't trying to destroy the world, but they will if you do not stop them."] Oh, that's just great. Right, okay, we were going to stop them anyhow. So what else? * Lazar perks up at that. ["It is not that simple, Master! You said so yourself, mere might will not be enough to stop them."] * Rei pays closer attention now that mere might isn't all that's involved. ( Oh. Well, then we're pretty screwed. ) The probability of any random person's attempting to destroy the world must be rapidly approaching a hundred percent. Okay, what besides mere might? * Lazar sags a bit. It's been over that mark for a while, Asanjya. "I do not know. You died before you could tell me. But you have it within you, master. I know it!"] ( Kind of like someone randomly figuring out the question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. ) Technically impossible, but likely true. Oh, of course not. Oh, that's just great. Great timing on the death, past Chinese guy me. ( It's your spleen! USE THE SPLEEN, CHIE! ) Got anything that can jog her memory? A meatbun? Smelling salts? Maybe her favorite hat? [He nods. "I hate to say it, master, but your death also cost us that battle."] How'd I die? Assassination? Choking on a pretzel? ["We were unable to take Sima Yi's camp, and... well, that's long since past. Oh, here! I have your fan!" He holds out a feather fan.] * Chie takes the fan. "Uh. Nice. Thanks." * Asanjya barely avoids choking. * Chie fans herself with it briefly. Why not? * Maria blinks. ["You died of exhaustion, sir. You pushed yourself much too hard. You didn't listen to me."] * Maria rubs her face. Well. I don't think I'm in much danger of that repeating. ... Anything else? * Rei blinks a few times, thinking all of this over. ( Dammit, I need somewhere private to cry. ) ( Ok, since people are tired, just continue. Assume Rei's boggling at the concept of Chie being an old smart guy. ) ["Master Zhuge Liang, I know not what it is you have to do, but only that you have to do it. You are the key to this plan."] Well, while I'm flattered that I get to be key to saving the world, it'd really help if I knew what the hell I'm supposed to be doing. Otherwise, we're just gonna go along and hope that something miraculously occurs to me. Concentrate on the fan, perhaps. It is yours more directly than the body. I can hit people until you figure out. I happen to like the body, thank you very much. Although the fan's kinda cool. ["You are the Sleeping Dragon of Shu. If anyone can do it, it is you."] * Chie looks at Wei. "Thanks for the pep talk, and the information. Some of it actually does make sense." She actually bows. [He bows back, elated. "I have full faith in you, master."] ["Ah! Perhaps this will help."] Yeah? ( *hands Chie a rocket launcher* ) (Woo!) ( Chie will kill you all. ) ["I've learned that the old man's real name is..." He stumbles on the name a bit, "Tatsuya Kashiwagi. And the man and woman who follow him have no names, nor are they human."] (Nah, just Lazar.) * Chie looks at Asanjya. "True names give power, don't they?" In most senses. Especially if he's otherworldly. ( Depends on the game system. ) (Yeah, really.) * Chie smiles. It's not a nice smile. "Good. This should help, then." It is a rather excellent bit of information. And it's also good to know I don't need to hold back on the other two. ["They follow him for that very reason, because they want to be human. Perhaps you can use that somehow? You were always very skilled at getting people to turn on their masters. After all, that's how you met me."] ( Not human? So I can smash? Close enough to human. ;_; ) * Chie grins. "I think I'm beginning to like my past self." Zhuge Liang was... Yeah. ( Rei Ueda: The full Metal Alchimest. ) (Rei Ueda: The Full Mental Alchimest.) * Lazar eyes the door. "Skull on door never good sign." ( Alchemist. c.c; ) [Jiang Wei steps aside. "Master Zhuge Liang, please hurry. I regret that I cannot help you in this next battle, but I'm confident you will win."] Thanks. Sorry you had to wait so long for him... and me. You've earned your rest and reward. * Chie smiles. This time, it's actually a nice one. "Take care." [He bows again, then vanishes.] * Chie looks at the group. "Don't get me wrong. I'm still confused as hell, and kinda skeptical, but some of it does make sense." Besides, we were gonna stop those guys anyway. * Lazar pokes at the door warily. So let's do it. [The door is poked.] We'll deal with it. Or we'll die. Simple as that. * Lazar eyes the door. Any opening mechanism apparent, or is this a smash? [No apparent way to open it. It slides upwards somehow.] Maria? You want take look at door? Sure. * Maria looks the door over with her thiefy-keen senses. [It seems to be a slab of iron.] * Maria frowns, and tries pushing the skull. [The skull shines, and the door opens. Behind it is a corridor. The walls, floor and ceiling of this one are made of bones.] Well, it's more pleasant than the blood was. * Maria stands aside to let Lazar in. * Lazar heads in warily. Watch out for the pointy bits. * Asanjya follows towards the end. "Now this is decorating I could get behind." * Maria follows behind Lazar. * Chomei follows along. [You head in! Session End!]