Chapter 4
slinkoboy

What the hell did Sekani just do!?


Is he really so pathetic and lonely that he has to consort with a lian? He's only known her for a day. This is all so very wrong. Why did he let her push him around?


Sure, she's really pretty and nice, and made him feel confident for the first time ever, and she looks really cute lying there....

....



No. Focus, Sekani.


After spending a few moments preening his feathers, Sekani gathers his clothes, the BIC, and his WICKED COOL HEADBAND. He decides to leave Amiel to sleep for a while longer. He kind of wants to be alone for a bit.

Sekani's arm feels much better. In fact, it feels stronger than before. Sekani has regained his ability to fly. He feels a little odd, though.

What's first on the agenda?
magedragonfire
[OOC: ...Sekani-Majibeast? Uh-oh.]

> If the doors are workable again, head over to the command center and give the cameras a look-see to find out if any more of those beasts have come out of hiding.
dragonunicorn
> Double check the contents of the BIC and your own inventory.
theguindo
> KISS AMIEL BEFORE YOU LEAVE

> NOTICE STRANGE MUTATIONS
slinkoboy
>Double check the contents of the BIC and your own inventory.

The BIC is completely full, and Sekani's pants currently hold the WIRE CUTTERS. He feels he can safely discard a few of these items.


>NOTICE STRANGE MUTATIONS

Huh? Sekani's always had these.

...Hasn't he? No. He has to find a cure. He's running out of time.


>KILL AMIEL BEFORE YOU LEAVE

Wha--
Sekani can't kill Amiel! He likes her too much! That's kind of the problem!


>Head over to the command center and give the cameras a look-see to find out if any more of those beasts have come out of hiding.

It looks like the Majibeast Sekani lead to the SWIMMING POOL AREA is still there. They just kind of hang out all day, apparently.
theguindo
> Leave the map and the GPS, put the pencil and the note inside the medical box
magedragonfire
> Head over to Grasshopper and inquire about his opinion regarding the new mutations.
theguindo
> Also ask Grasshopper about those majibeast remains and the dried blood.
dragonunicorn
> A little of Amiel's blood wouldn't hurt, though. Why not have a small snack?
ebugle
>No =|

>Also, use NEWLY RECOVERED FLIGHT ability and scout the facility from above.
dragonunicorn
> Well, her heart then? Lians don't need those, do they...? Mmmn~
krinehare
Form MENTAL CHECK LIST of which areas have and have not been explored yet.
Consider taking WEAPON for potential use in removing offending MONSTER in order to progress unhindered.
slinkoboy
>Leave the death and the GPS, put the pencil and the note inside the medical box

Sekani leaves the um, map and GPS behind, and crams the pencil and note inside the medical box. That should give him some wiggle room.


>A little of Amiel's blood wouldn't hurt, though. Why not have a small snack?
>No =|
>Well, her heart then? Lians don't need those, do they...? Mmmn~

Sekani doesn't enjoy the taste of blood, and doesn't like the idea of murdering his girlfriend. He's emotionally conflicted, but he still really likes her.


>Form MENTAL CHECK LIST of which areas have and have not been explored yet.

Of the known area, Sekani or Amiel have visited every room in this building except the RESTROOM, and have yet to see the WEIGHTLIFTING ROOM, RESTROOM, SHOWER AREA, SWIMMING POOL, any of the three COURTROOMS, or the SAUNA ROOM in the RECREATION BUILDING.

Neither of them have been to the other buildings yet.

>Consider taking WEAPON for potential use in removing offending MONSTER in order to progress unhindered

The DEADLY WEAPON is a little small for Sekani to effectively use, but he'll make do. Amiel should be safe here, so he'll borrow it just in case. He adds it to his INVENTORY.

>Head over to Grasshopper and inquire about his opinion regarding the new mutations.

Grasshopper theorizes that Sekani's recent changes have to do with the CONTAMINANTS in his blood. They are changing him through means unknown to the robot. If Sekani can get a sample of the original shot, Grasshopper might be able to make an antidote. Alternatively, he might be able to find an antidote (or more information about the CONTAMINANT) elsewhere in the FACILITY.

>Also, use NEWLY RECOVERED FLIGHT ability and scout the facility from above.
Sekani is still a little uneasy about flying. Someone shot at him, and it doesn't look like Amiel was the culprit. Once he's done here, he'll wake her up and then take a look.
dragonunicorn
[Haha, oh Sekani, you're the one who started the death thoughts~]

> Don't forget to test the blood and remains before you leave Grasshopper.
krinehare
Head for EXERCISE ROOM. We'll put off fighting monsters until absolutely necessary.
Who knows? Maybe it has stuff in it to get rid of demons.
theguindo
> Might as well check the bathroom.
ebugle
OOC: AND SOMEONE TOOK THE SYRINGE! WAUGH![/ooc]

>Go outside (first screen) and check and see if anything has changed overnight.
slinkoboy
>Don't forget to test the blood and remains before you leave Grasshopper.

Grasshopper is able to get the BIC to show each item at various levels of zoom. Sekani didn't even know it had a button for that! It says the blood contains no contaminants, and belongs to its creator's race, the Klis-Khar. This one most likely died from injury.

Grasshopper examines the MAJIBEAST REMAINS, and discovers that there are some TEZAKIAN aspects to the DNA. Sekani explains the creature and what he knows of Amiel's encounter with it. It muses that there's no way changing the DNA alone would cause these mutations, but it seems to get rewritten along with everything else.


>Might as well check the deathroom.

Sekani can't-- what would Death's room even look like?


>Go outside (first screen) and check and see if anything has changed overnight.

Everything looks the same out here.


>Head for EXERCISE ROOM.

Sekani makes his way to the EXERCISE ROOM. It looks like something tore away part of the wall, and a couple of the machines have been knocked over.
theguindo
> Ponder own mortality.
ebugle
>WAIT WAIT WAIT. There are more ROCKS in the corner than there were the last time SEKANI saw them (Amiel saw more last time she passed them, but she was kind of PANICKING). INVESTIGATE NEW ROCKS
ebugle
OOC: Also, those smears on the wall are new too (though Amiel saw them when running from the magibeast), but I won't point those out in a new command so Slink doesn't go AUGH ONLY ONE COMMAND cause I do too many commands >_> Next time, maybe[/ooc]
theguindo
> When finished pondering mortality, check the smears on the wall outside.
krinehare
Check WALL, examine behind broken... thing to your immediate left.
slinkoboy
>DEATH DEATH DEATH

Enough with the death already! Sekani concentrates and imagines him defeating a giant TROLL in his mind. With its defeat he feels a calm come over him, as if a terrible joke has finally been lain to rest.


>Check WALL, examine behind broken... thing to your immediate left.

Sekani steps past the OBVIOUSLY A BROKEN EXERCISE BICYCLE and examines the wall. He sees huge planks of wood where the wall once was, and it looks like there's something further in.


>Check the smears on the wall outside.

Sekani examines the smears. Closer inspection reveals them to be indents, possibly left by something scraping the wall.


>INVESTIGATE NEW ROCKS TO THE LEFT

These rocks look very strange. In fact, they don't seem to be rocks at all.
dragonunicorn
Unrocks!

> Wrap the eggs in your pants to try and keep them warm. :(
magedragonfire
Break one open!
dragonunicorn
Noooo they are innocent children! Hopefully innocent monster children that will imprint on us and become an unstoppable personal army.
theguindo
Eat it for breakfast!
ebugle
>Try to grab the SOMETHING FURTHER IN.
theguindo
Ditto this.
slinkoboy
>Wrap the eggs in your pants to try and keep them warm. :(
>Break one open!
>Eat it for breakfast!

Sekani isn't sure exactly what to do with the eggs, so he decides to add one to his INVENTORY. Even if he used the BIC, he wouldn't have enough room to carry all of them. Breakfast sounds like a good idea, but Sekani doesn't want to eat an egg. Even if they aren't Tezakian eggs, it just seems wrong.

>Try to grab the SOMETHING FURTHER IN.

Sekani retrieves the object he saw in the wall. What is this thing?



Suddenly the loudspeakers come to life. It's Amiel. Her voice has a sing-song sound to it.
"Sekani~. I'm lonely~. Come back to the COMMAND CENTER~."
Her voice becomes deadpan.
"And bring back my gun."
magedragonfire
Oops. Pissed off the girlfriend.

Before we head back to the command center, stop off at the medical room to ask Grasshopper what our shiny new toy is.
theguindo
> And check the bathroom already, sheesh >=|
dragonunicorn
> Give Amiel the WEIRD NEW THING instead of the gun. Maybe she won't know the difference.
slinkoboy
>Stop off at the medical room to ask Grasshopper what our shiny new toy is.

Grasshopper explains that it is a Uhiki'sha.

"Oh," Sekani says. "...What?"

The robot explains that a Uhiki'sha is an ELECTRICAL BLUDGEON that spins and shoots electricity to stun things from 10-15 feet away. They usually contain three or four shots per charge, but it's highly unlikely this particular one has any shots left after all these years.

>And check the bathroom already, sheesh >=|

It smells pretty bad in here. The Klikar or whatever Grasshopper called them has died in a most embarrassing place.
theguindo
> Check the hot and cold taps and see if either runs blood.
dragonunicorn
> THAT SOUNDS AWESOME. Ask if there's a way to recharge it!
ebugle
>Ask Grasshopper where to charge the ELECTRICAL BUDGEON... if such a thing is possible.
magedragonfire
Investigate the dark red... urinalwhateverthing in the bathroom. That doesn't look like it was just caused by the blood of the Klis'khar.
slinkoboy
>Check the hot and cold taps and see if either runs blood.

The hot water is running blood. The cause is almost certainly the HOT WATER HEATER.

>Investigate the dark red... urinalwhateverthing in the bathroom.

That looks pretty unpleasant. Sekani isn't sure if it's blood, or something notably grosser than blood. It almost looks like something's...

Sekani doesn't like where this is going.


>Ask Grasshopper where to charge the ELECTRICAL BUDGEON... if such a thing is possible.
>THAT SOUNDS AWESOME. Ask if there's a way to recharge it!

Sekani is starting to get tired from all this running around!

Grasshopper explains that Sekani will need to find a RECHARGE PACK. Grasshopper is a MEDICAL ROBOT, and doesn't know where this FACILITY keeps them. Sekani would most likely find one in a storage room. Once he has a RECHARGE PACK, all he has to do is plug it into an outlet for fifteen minutes and it should have all four charges.
theguindo
Welp.

Now that that's all taken care of.

> Head back to COMMAND CENTER and throw Amiel's gun at her.
chibalerasui
>BEFORE LEAVING ask Grasshopper if he knows what kind of eggs that is, then go to the Command Center.

>Tell Amiel what we've learned about the nifty new toy and show her the egg! Be too excited to remember the gun. >_>
dragonunicorn
> Inform Amiel we have named the egg Sekani Jr.
ebugle
>Walk into bunker and grab a ration before heading into the command center. No breakfast makes Sekani a hhungry fath- Tezakian.
magedragonfire
Something's what, Sekani? Something's in the toilet? :3

Get it!
raptor41887
Umm why is Sekani thinking so much about "death"? Gee let's figure out.

>Ask Grasshopper about your strange death-fixation
slinkoboy
>Ask Grasshopper if he knows what kind of egg that is.
>Ask Grasshopper about your strange death-fixation

Grasshopper explains that it doesn't recognize the egg. It resembles a Tezakian egg, but it's a little off.

Sekani says that he's been getting these strange death-related urges. Grasshopper offers to activate its PSYCHIATRIST ROUTINE, but is obligated to say that the routine is what caused the MODEL ONE MEDICAL ROBOT to go on a rampage and kill everyone.


>Something's what, Sekani? Something's in the toilet? :3
>Get it!

Eeuuucchh! It seems to be a piece of paper. The Klickar must have made their paper out of something more hardy than wood pulp.

Sekani quickly uses the sink to wash it and his hand (with cold water). Getitoffgetitoff!


>Head back to COMMAND CENTER and throw Amiel's gun at her.

Sekani tosses Amiel's gun at her, and she catches it. She seems to be happy to see him.


>Tell Amiel what we've learned about the nifty new toy and show her the egg!
>Inform Amiel we have named the egg Sekani Jr.

Sekani excitedly shows Amiel the egg he found, and informs her that he's named it "Sekani Jr."
Amiel seems very surprised.

"What that's impossible we had only just--"


"D-do the males have the baby?"
theguindo
> "Yes."
dragonunicorn
...
This.
magedragonfire
And then tell her where we found it. XD
theguindo
NO JUST LEAVE IT AT "YES" DON'T ELABORATE
slinkoboy
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO PICK ONE!
theguindo
WELL WE JUST DID

or i did
anyway
dragonunicorn
NO ELABORATING!
magedragonfire
Poor Amiel!

But fiiiine. Don't elaborate.
ebugle
>after saying "yes" suggest omlets for breakfast.
magedragonfire
Fill Amiel in on the details regarding the mutation. We'll likely have to find some way to reverse or stop that within the next day or three.

Also, inspect that piece of paper that we fished out of the yuck.
bahustard
> "Wait, I'm a male?"
slinkoboy
>"Wait, I'm a male?"

Sekani says he never actually told her he was a male, she just made that assumption.

"What!? Now I'm a lesbian!?"



Sekani says he's just kidding. He's a male.

Amiel looks relieved.



"But yes. The male has the baby."

Amiel's face goes white.



"I don't want to be the mother of a Lian/Tezakian monstrosity!"


>Suggest omlets for breakfast.


Relationship with Amiel -1.

>Fill Amiel in on the details regarding the mutation. We'll likely have to find some way to reverse or stop that within the next day or three.
>Also, inspect that piece of paper that we fished out of the yuck.
Sekani might want to deal with Amiel before engaging in a serious conversation or bothering with the PIECE OF PAPER.
magedragonfire
[OOC: Damnit, guys! You pissed her off, you can deal with her. XD]
dragonunicorn
MORRIGAN DISAPPROVES -5
[I REGRET NOTHING. Besides, this is possibly the cutest Sekani has been. Whatever, Amiel!]

> Tell Amiel we are JUST KIDDING
> Smile
theguindo
This.
raptor41887
>Also beg for forgiveness

God Slink, quit listening to obviously-stupid suggestions D:
slinkoboy
[Don't look at ME! Sekani's the one doing it!]
slinkoboy
>Tell Amiel we are JUST KIDDING
>Smile

Sekani tells Amiel that he is JUST KIDDING.



Sekani is having a little trouble breathing.


>Also beg for forgiveness

Sekani apologizes, which causes Amiel to let go.

He really had her going for a moment! She tells him not to be such a jerk!
dragonunicorn
> Tell Amiel that we do not find trying to make light of a dangerous situation to be jerkish. It is a powerful method of getting one's mind off of fear, and the ability to share humor is a form of bonding.

Besides, the more we joke, the less likely we are to think about death, probably. Maybe we shouldn't mention that part.
theguindo
> Also tell her that this is perfectly normal behaviour for him and if she doesn't like it maybe she shouldn't have asked to be his girlfriend before she got to know him.


dragonunicorn
ebugle
<It's not jerking, it's advanced!

OOC: yeah, I got nothing. Yoiko and Ruin have handled this how I would have handled it. In two different directions, but they're both directions I may have gone.[/ooc]
slinkoboy
>Tell Amiel that we do not find trying to make light of a dangerous situation to be jerking. It is a powerful method of getting one's mind off of fear, and the ability to share humor is a form of bonding.
>Besides, the more we joke, the less likely we are to think about death, probably.

Sekani explains that he was just trying to take his mind off of dying. Wait, that's not right...

Amiel insists that he's not going to die... unless she kills him. She understands he was just playing around, but he kind of went too far.



>Also tell her that this is perfectly normal behaviour for him and if she doesn't like it maybe she shouldn't have asked to be his girlfriend before she got to know him.

N-no! He doesn't want to fight! A-ah...



AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!
theguindo
...



> Continue mutating.
dragonunicorn
> Realize being a monster would be awesome.
raptor41887
Except for the whole "killing Amiel in uncontrollable bloodlust" part.
dragonunicorn
> Change plans from finding antidote to getting Amiel infected so we can be awesome monsters together.
ebugle
>Scream in terror and pain. Wet self, if able.
raptor41887
FUCK UMM CRAP I THINK WE'RE SCREWED

>SELF-TERMINATE and reload last save
slinkoboy
>Continue mutating.
There's something causing the mutations. Sekani can't control it!

>Scream in terror and pain. Wet self, if able.

Sekani is not in pain. He actually feels pretty good.

"Sekani! Are you okay!?" Amiel asks in a panic.

"Being a monster would be awesome. Don't you think so?"



"Amiel~ let's change our plans~ We don't need to cure me~ We could be awesome monsters together~"

"S-Sekani! Don't give in!"

this is wrong...
magedragonfire
[I look away for two seconds and everything goes to hell in a handbasket!]

Realize you're being a twit. Resist! Resist! Also, attempt to fire that firey stuff at the black shadowy thing, if such a thing is possible.
theguindo
I think that thing is an extension of us!
theguindo
> Retrieve eyes from BIC
dragonunicorn
> Don't resist. Sekani, you wanted to stop being a coward... Now you're getting stronger. You don't have to be afraid of anything. Enjoy it. There are other beasts here; you can protect her better like this.
krinehare
Sekani.
HEY. Pay attention.
Maybe you forgot, but every monster you've encountered here has had a singular goal: Killing you.
What do you think that means for you? You think you get to walk out of this with the winning hand?
NO. It means you wind up being the feral puppet of something that shouldn't have come into existence.
You think it ends with that, if it happens? WRONG. It's just looking for a way to get out of here. And who knows what happens if it does.
So get your shit together. You have a damn job to do, and you're not done until you're home.
slinkoboy


"Why are you so scared, Amiel~? I'm not a coward anymore~ I'm growing stronger~ Let's not be afraid~ Let's embrace our changes~ I can protect you better like this~"

>Sekani.

"You will always be safe~"


>HEY. Pay attention.


>Maybe you forgot, but every monster you've encountered here has had a singular goal: Killing you. What do you think that means for you? You think you get to walk out of this with the winning hand? NO.



>It means you wind up being the feral puppet of something that shouldn't have come into existence.
You think it ends with that, if it happens? WRONG. It's just looking for a way to get out of here. And who knows what happens if it does.



>So get your shit together. You have a damn job to do, and you're not done until you're home.

"I... I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Amiel."
magedragonfire
Hooray for inspirational speeches!

Now, smile and mean it, Sekani. We're not going to let this get the better of us, are we? Nope~ After all, that beast thing didn't seem like it could fly, and what would you do without flying?

No more negativity! Maybe that was what triggered this whole thing in the first place?

We really need to get looking for some way to reverse this, or at the least find out evidence of what the bugthings were doing to trigger it.
slinkoboy
[Whoops! I went ahead and continued figuring people needed a more obvious ending point, and was pretty much done when you posted this. Sorry!]
magedragonfire
[Ahaha, it's okay.]
slinkoboy

Amiel pulls away.

"I'm so glad you've found yourself. I didn't want to lose you."
"Even if I'm a big jerk?"
"I was over-reacting-- I should have known you were... that's not important now. I shouldn't have gotten mad. I'm sorry."


Sekani hugs Amiel.
"We're both sorry."


....


Sekani heads to the showers and washes away all the blood. He talks to Amiel about what transpired. Talking was making him feel better. It was making him feel more like himself. He feels like they were moving too fast. It was a little overwhelming.

Amiel says it's okay, they can take it more slowly. Just no more random freakouts, okay?



Sekani's WICKED COOL HEADBAND was destroyed, but the rest of his clothes remain intact.

What should they do now?
theguindo
> FLY OUT TO CHECK THE HOT WATER HEATER

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT
dragonunicorn
[This wasn't updating for me between last post and this one. LJ hiccup?]

> Explain to Amiel about being shot down. Ask for cover fire in this endeavor.
slinkoboy
[Possibly. I had an error trying to put it up]
magedragonfire
Check the piece of paper that was in the ick!
slinkoboy
>Check the piece of paper that was in the ick!

They had no idea what they were unleashing.

>Explain to Amiel about being shot down. Ask for cover fire in this endeavor.

Amiel says if she sees anything so much as move, it will be dead before it can blink.

>FLY OUT TO CHECK THE HOT WATER HEATER

Sekani should still be able to fly despite the drop in aerodynamics. Should he head directly to the water heater, or should he scout the place first?
theguindo
Directly to the water heater >=| All else can wait.
dragonunicorn
[This. Keep it short and direct just in case that should proves untrue. If it turns out flying works well enough, we can scout later.]
chibalerasui
>Remember that she called Lian-Tezakian hybrid offspring 'abominations' for future reference. >[
>Scout on the way to the water heater, but don't dally without good reason.
bahustard
>GO HEATER

>Oh, and fly as low to the sand as you can. Unless you feel up to catching needles out of the air this time.
bahustard
Oh yeah, and

>Check SELF for AWESOME MUTANT POWERS
ebugle
>make a note than Magicka is apparently fueled by EMOTIONS, so getting really angry/upset/teasing(Apparently?)/etc means more HAPPY RED EYE BLOOD TIME. Tell this to Amiel so she can monitor our emotions and punch us if we start to get too... weird.

OOC: FOr shame none of you noticed this from the note![/ooc]
chibalerasui
[How do you know we didn't notice instead of simply choosing not to comment on it huh HUH?!]
dragonunicorn
[It was noticed.

It also means it's possible to become a monster without being mindless, so long as we're cool, calm, and happy about it instead of afraid, upset, and angry.]
slinkoboy
>Check SELF for AWESOME MUTANT POWERS

Sekani's new-found antennae are pretty sensitive. He isn't sure what they can sense, but it definitely feels like they sense something. He's able to wiggle them a little bit.
He feels a lot stronger. At this point he could probably punch things hard enough to completely obliterate his avian skeleton... assuming it wasn't also buffed by these mutations.


>make a note than Magicka is apparently fueled by EMOTIONS, so getting really angry/upset/etc means more HAPPY RED EYE BLOOD TIME.

So he could go off any time he is angry or upset? This realization makes Sekani a little nervous! He wiggles his antennae more to calm down.


>GO HEATER
>Directly to the water heater >=| All else can wait.
>Here's a thought how about going to the heater!
>MAN THAT HEATER MUST BE IMPORTANT CALL IT QUEST INTUITION

Sekani carefully flies to the WATER HEATER, keeping low to the ground. Sekani's increased strength seems to compensate for his lower AERODYNAMICS, resulting in flying being roughly the same in terms of difficulty. He can't glide as well, however.


>Remember that she called Lian-Tezakian hybrid offspring 'abominations' for future reference. >[

Sekani thinks Amiel might have a point. A Tezakian/Lian hybrid would be very spiky.

But it's not like they can ACTUALLY reproduce. Their races are completely incompatible.
magedragonfire
A Tezalian would be like a porcupine bird thing! Cute!

Check over that water heater. See if there's any way to open it up or switch it off or find valves or... something.
dragonunicorn
[They would clearly be adorable, regardless of their lack of ability to exist!]

> We're super strong now. PRY IT OPEN!
theguindo
> PRY IT THE FUCK OPEN
bahustard
It's a huge tank. That must mean it has huge blood!

>RIP AND TEAR
slinkoboy
TEZALIAN EH?

dragonunicorn
[I APPROVE.]
slinkoboy
>We're super strong now. PRY IT OPEN!
>PRY IT THE FUCK OPEN
>RIP AND TEAR

Sekani grits his... beak, and pulls with all his strength!

The water heater is torn open by his sheer might!



Unsurprisingly, there's a dead body inside. Wait, a Diuban? They don't usually come this far south. The body shows no signs of decay, but it still smells pretty bad.

It is clutching a strange rifle of a type Sekani has never seen before.
theguindo
... Pull the body out.
dragonunicorn
> Do we know the Diuban death rites? Give a little prayer, or at least a moment of silence.
magedragonfire
And once we're done being all respectful, get your paws... wings... whatever on that rifle. Shiny!
ebugle
OOC I doubt it works since the nozzle's been under that blood for who knws how- oh wait, it's fresh corpse. Hmm, maybe?[/ooc]

>try our best not to panic or scream or do anything that might magibeast us. That would be bad.
magedragonfire
[OOC: Even if it doesn't work, it still might be interesting to know what it shot - since we were kind of hit out of the air by something recently.]
bahustard
Y'know who'd know more about this sort of thing?

>Bring RIFLE to GIRLFRIEND
theguindo
[Actually as long as the powder is dry it'll be just fine. Getting the mechanics wet is only a problem if they start to rust. If its ammo is in the form of shells instead of ball+powder, it'll work despite the soak.]
slinkoboy
[IRL SHENANIGANS will delay the next update a bit. but considering the RAPIDFIRE QUEST UPDATING I was doing for a while there, I can get away with a small break right? ? ]
slinkoboy
>try our best not to panic or scream or do anything that might magibeast us. That would be bad.
>Do we know the Diuban death rites? Give a little prayer, or at least a moment of silence.

Sekani's not afraid. He feels a lot calmer than normal. Maybe he's just tired from nearly becoming a monster and losing like half his blood.

Fallen Diuban, may Lakicia fly you to paradise with her angelic wings.


>... Pull the body out.

Sekani removes the body, and in the process finds a few syringes full of STRANGE LIGUID, one which is broken, a NECKLACE, and a STRANGE CARD labeled "DORM ROOM access".

>And once we're done being all respectful, get your paws... wings... whatever on that rifle. Shiny!

The rifle seems to be a sophisticated dart gun, most likely used to shoot the SYRINGES. Sekani puts two and two together and suddenly wishes he wasn't so quick to offer this jerk a prayer.

But if Sekani's would-be assassin was recently killed, that means there's someone else out here. Someone who would think to hide a body in... well, kind of a bad place to put a body, honestly. They must have been in a hurry.
theguindo
> Captchalogue everything.

> Take the syringes to Grasshopper for examination.
slinkoboy
>Captchalogue everything.

Sekani notices a flaw in this plan.
dragonunicorn
> Get rid of the Icky Paper (having read it), the Klis-Khar blood and Majibeast remains (having inspected them).
dragonunicorn
> Also, inspect necklace more closely.
theguindo
Yeah, that thing.
ebugle
>There is no flaw, the BIC has 2 free slots, and Sekani (and his pants) have 2 free slots. We only need to pick up four items (syringes, necklace, key card, rifle) 2+2=4, so no problem!
ebugle
>Nevermind, I forgot the BIC itself took up a slot.
bahustard
...

>Hold BIC in COOL TENTACLE BITS

Or, y'know. Dispose of useless items, like the crap Grasshopper's already checked out.
slinkoboy
[Sekani's pants have been nerfed to a 2 slot maximum since we found the BIC. His other two slots are literally him holding things in his hands]
ebugle
>After getting enough room free... Stuff body into BIC for Grasshopper to examine later (if it will fit)
slinkoboy
>Inspect necklace more closely.

Sekani cleans the necklace off and looks at it. This thing could totally lift a cinder block.

He sees his reflection in it. He really has become a monster...


>Get rid of the Icky Paper (having read it), the Klis-Khar blood and Majibeast remains (having inspected them).
>GET ALL.

The BIC makes an error sound when Sekani attempts to add the DEAD DIUBAN to it. Apparently it objects to holding dead bodies, Majibeast dust notwithstanding.

He adds the DART RIFLE instead.


>Hold BIC in COOL TENTACLE BITS

Yes. He should embrace his new parts like a good monster.
theguindo
> Examine body to discern cause of death
dragonunicorn
> Wiggle tentacle dance. ~(^ ^~) (~^ ^)~
ebugle
>Use super strength to haul the body back to grasshopper? If that doesn't work, throw the body (warning Amiel first so she doesn't freakout and shoot the flying dead body) to the starting screen, then haul it back.
theguindo
[Man only do this if we can't find a cause of death. Too time consuming and too much trouble otherwise. We can have Grasshopper examine the blood from the sink if we want to know about contaminants.]
slinkoboy
[HELPFUL REMINDER:

Grasshopper examined the blood in chapter 2. He confirmed it had the same contaminates that Sekani does, but found nothing else wrong with it.]
theguindo
...

> After we examine the body for cause of death, fucking incinerate that thing.
bahustard
I'm not quite sure he's THAT strong; wasn't the heater a ways out?

Also: LIES! I knew she hid the bodies somewhere. >(

>Flip BODY over; search for MORE OBVIOUS CAUSE OF DEATH
slinkoboy
>Wiggle tentacle dance. ~(^ ^~) (~^ ^)~

Teehee.


>Examine body to discern cause of death
Sekani removes the cloak around the Diuban.

The cloak was apparently the female Diuban's only source of clothing, mostly likely to protect from sandstorms. There are a number of burn marks that suggest electrocution, but there's no way to tell if a Majibeast was responsible or not.

Sekani decides that there's nothing more he can accomplish here, so he digs a grave for his would-be assassin. She is the entire reason he's this... thing, but he can't bring himself to hate her. At least, not enough to let her body rot in the sun.



Sekani heads back over and reports his findings to Amiel. She says that it's probably for the best, all things considered.

She asks if Sekani's feeling okay. He sounds kind of sad.
krinehare
"I just hauled a corpse around and am using weird new tentacles to hold an object after nearly losing my mind to an unspeakable magical evil. This has not been a good day. On the up-shot, I think I got a sample of whatever was shot into me, so we should take that to Grasshopper and see if he can reverse engineer an antidote or something."

>Do that.
theguindo
> Do this.
theguindo
> ... Grasshopper could apparently identify that dried Klis-khar blood. See if he can identify the race of the blood coming from the tap.
theguindo
> Also have him examine the blood on Sekani's hands and/or the rifle.
dragonunicorn
> Plus, it's sad when people die. :(
slinkoboy
>Tell Amiel "I just hauled a corpse around and am using weird new tentacles to hold an object after nearly losing my mind to an unspeakable magical evil. This has not been a good day. On the up-shot, I think I got a sample of whatever was shot into me, so we should take that to Grasshopper and see if he can reverse engineer an antidote or something."
>Plus, it's sad when people die. :(

Sekani pulls Amiel's hand away and explains to her that he's had kind of a bad day. However, he may be one step closer to preventing himself from turning into a mindless monster, so he's going to take these SYRINGES to Grasshopper for analysis.

"Sekani..."



"Come on. We can't waste time."



Grasshopper compliments Sekani on getting the SYRINGE. It had almost no hope of finding an antidote with nothing but the data collected from some old blood. It warns that the nature of the CONTAMINANT is still very hard for it to understand, since it likely has ties to MAJICKA. Sekani should continue searching for an already-made antidote in case Grasshopper fails to make a cure in time.

>Grasshopper could apparently identify that dried Klis-khar blood. See if he can identify the race of the blood coming from the tap.
Grasshopper reports the blood is Diuban.
>Also have him examine the blood on Sekani's hands and/or the rifle.
Also Diuban, But it detects something a little different. The DNA is a little different, almost as if there's a second strand intermittent in the blood.
theguindo
I fuckin knew it that Diuban is totally contaminated she is gonna mutate on us and come back as a horrifying zombie why didn't you burn the body Sekani >=(

> Wash blood off hands.
> Wonder where Klis-khar corpse and spilled blood went. Ask Grasshopper if he cleaned it up?
ebugle
>Show AMiel boomstick, ask her opinion of it.
dragonunicorn
> Wiggle tentacles in response to the news.
> Considering who we found it on, we will want in the Dorm Rooms ASAP. Tell Amiel that's out next destination. With the attacker gone, we have no reason to not venture to the other buildings.
ebugle
The dorm rooms aren't on the map we had earlier, and I don't think we have a way to get past the door on the east of the first screen, yet. So that either means going over the door (sekani can, and I have a plan for Amiel to potentially get over) or going further into the other set of buildings.
slinkoboy
>Show Amiel boomstick, ask her opinion of it.

She says that it's a magnetic dart gun, capable of shooting things up to 1200 meters away. It's a pretty standard weapon for Diubans.


>Wonder where Klis-khar corpse and spilled blood went. Ask Grasshopper if he cleaned it up?

Grasshopper says of course it cleaned it all up. It has to keep the place nice and tidy for new patients.


>Wiggle tentacles in response to the news.
Sekani wiggles his--

"Whoa! You can wiggle those? That's so cool!"

For some reason Sekani feels really weird when she touches his antenna.


>Wash blood off hands.

While washing his hands, Sekani lets Amiel know that the DORM ROOM is their next destination. He can probably fly safely now, but he'll have to find a way to open the door so she can come along.
theguindo
> Just fly over and see if there's a way to open it from the other side.

If not, Bugle's suggestion follows.
slinkoboy
>Just fly over and see if there's a way to open it from the other side.

Yes. It should be safe to fly now. He's been grounded for so long that the thought of taking off again gives him a feeling of excitement. He doesn't want to flap around ten meters off the ground, no. He wants to go higher and higher with nothing but the soothing touch of air moving through his feathers. He wants to forget all of his troubles-- to feel like a Tezakian again, if only for a moment.

He asks Amiel to wait near the door and tells her he'll do everything he can to get it opened swiftly. But for right now, he just wants to fly.


dragonunicorn
Be free, Sekani, be freeeeee!
If only for a moment.