CHAPTER THREE ♔ in an isolated system the entropy can only increase

[goodbyecaroline]

♬ the device has been modified - victims of science

WHO || Gold, Faye, Emma, Mars, Astrid, GLaDOS
WHAT ||  The Knights become unwitting test subjects for a psychotic AI  
WHERE || Luckman Industries computer-aided enrichment center, Germany
WHEN || May 31st/June 1st [backdated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

Why Wynn ever thinks there will be such a thing as a 'simple recon mission' we just don't know.  

Several Knights were dispatched to a small isolated town in Germany where magic was rumored to not function, only to discover that the situation was a bit more complicated.  Yes, magic didn't function when attempted - sometimes.  But other times it had bizarre and dangerous side effects, including driving townspeople insane.  

Research led the team to a company called Luckman Industries who had bought digging rights to make a large quarry beneath the town, but further investigation revealed that they had actually constructed a massive underground laboratory instead.  Some sort of strange device stood at the center of it, magical in nature, but when they attempted to leave, they found the doors locked, and were forced into trying magic despite the potential side effects.

The spell seems to have attracted the attention of something within the building itself - a disembodied voice that's offered them a (mostly) pleasant greeting - to the Luckman Industries computer-aided enrichment center.

There will be cake.

Comments

[pathology]

Maybe — OW — I can — [escape artist ... 6. no, you can't, astrid. u can't do shit. besides make sweet sweet love to this wall.]

[uncurse]

[ emma's concentration check was 7 to shut out all the thoughts so don't look at her to pick that lock. her head is spinning and she's stumbling like a drunk bitch on the strip in vegas. ]

[goodbyecaroline]

[ a very helpful observation: ] This was supposed to be the easy part.

[undealt]

[CHILDREN.]

That spell will work on her shackles as well. [(wis 23) Unfortunately, he doesn't have that spell, so FIGURE SOMETHING OUT. Or I guess he could try something and see if it works.] Someone see if they can hold her still.

[uncurse]

[ still concentration 9 over here. she’ll be with you in another tag when the thoughts-reading wears off. she can at least read gold’s thoughts to know he doesn’t have the spell for himself. ]

[reallywicked]

What? Oh... [Whoops... Will it work on both at once or just one foot at a time??? GUESS WE WILL FIND OUT. Casting again~]

[goodbyecaroline]

[ and it works! on one of them, at least. 8| astrid has one foot free, which might... help her in not getting bashed repeatedly into the wall so much. ]

[pathology]

Ugh, I'm gonna have to cut off my foot like that coyote guy!!

[AND THEN SHE NAT 20's ANOTHER ESCAPE ARTIST CHECK?????]

[uncurse]

[ meanwhile, it seems emma has recovered! she straightens, and looks at gold, then faye, then astrid. ]

None of you guys heard that, did you?

[undealt]

[OH GOOD SHE'S FREE. Because Gold was going to try and corrode the shackles off and he might have taken her foot off

much like the coyote guy.] Heard what, Ms. Swan?

[goodbyecaroline]

[ astrid manages to slip her other fucking foot free YEAHHH freedom ] Oh dear. Hearing voices, already. Tsk.

Test subjects who experience mental breakdowns in the process of testing will be afforded psychiatric counseling at the conclusion of our research.

[ another panel slides open on another wall ] Please proceed in an orderly fashion to the next testing chamber.

[pathology]

[she doesn't really want to go ... but it beats sticking around in the room where she ALMOST DIED and saw her life flash before her eyes, so she's heading the fuck over to the next room.]

[reallywicked]

[Faye is close behind because apparently she's keeping an eye on dis bitch now.]

You alright?

[pathology]

Yeah, I'm fine. I had like my whole funeral planned out in my head. You and Lila were crying about how much you missed me. Oh, and If I Die Young by The Band Perry was playing. [this isn't even a deflective bluff she really has ... already moved on.]

[uncurse]

... In your head?

[ emma's head whips around to astrid. ]

... That close spell. She turns it into some kind of—mindreading. That explains the German.

[ she follows after them, casting a shifty look at gold. THIS COULD GO VERY BADLY. ]

I don't know how to do that.

[pathology]

[her face contorts into a sulk and she makes a shooing motion with her hand.] Hey! Get out of there!! [the funny thing is she pretty much says exactly what's on her mind 24/7 so it's not like her brain is the fucking chamber of secrets ok.]

[undealt]

Unpredictable side effects. [Gold looks like his life is over. He ignores Astrid, choosing to focus on what's straight ahead.]

If we see another option, we'll take it, but until then, we'll have to take it as it comes. And hope that we don't accidentally kill one another.

[goodbyecaroline]

[ they head down a short hallway, and up a few metal stairs into another chamber. as they enter, a panel beside the door lights up with a big "02".

ahead of them, is a long room, about 30 feet wide. several large walls that look composed entirely out of ice block the way. ]

This next test is much more basic, since it seems that even the most simple of challenges are overwhelming for you. At the far end of the corridor lies the door to the next testing chamber. Your goal is to reach it.

Should I repeat that more slowly, or would you like to proceed?

[charismapotion]

[ Mars was staying quiet for now, nothing he could say would be helpful so he was just going to roll with the punches for now.

Seeing the blocks he looked at them first instinct was to use one of his spells but he looked around from where he stood looking to see if there was a trap waiting or something besides backfire. (Spot: 19)]

[goodbyecaroline]

[ there's nothing really suspicious at all, except that he can see the wall is composed of those panels as well, which could theoretically open up and reveal anything hiding behind them at any moment. ]

[undealt]

[Yeah, it can't be that simple, but Gold takes the initiative and takes a hesitant step forward and then another. Just... Inching along. LOOK AT HIM BEING THE TEAM LEADER.]

[reallywicked]

Ice. Okay- so fire, right?

[When in her life has Faye ever hesitated to set something on fire?? She is gonna run out spells in a hurry at this rate. Oh well. Casting burning hands. 9 damage? If walls tak damage idk .]

[goodbyecaroline]

[ whoops, that doesn't look like fire. A cloud of noxious yellow gas fills the small hallway. A dc 15 fort save negates the nausea. ]

Oh dear. I hope there's not a leak in the deadly neurotoxin pipe.

[pathology]

[fort save ... 6. poor bb looks like she's about to throw up.] Oh my god, I'm going to die here. We're all going to die. [she leans against the wall and ... lucky for everyone i guess she hasn't really eaten anything today so she just makes some dry heaving noises.]

[reallywicked]

[Fort save 20 total. Poor Astrid. Faye actually feels bad for how she keeps getting kicked around.]

God fucking damnit. A little help here?!