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

[ideamachine]

Somewhere will I think she'll be very glad... that she lost her sense of smell. Just saying.

[undealt]

[Gold tries a Mage Hand spell. FOR HONOR AND FOR FAYE.] Once again, I am deeply sorry, but this can't continue.

[ideamachine]

Oh? Is THAT SO? [ sorry gold it's

backfire time

and now you believe firmly that one of your allies is deeply in love with you. ] I lost everything once before! I'm NOT ABOUT TO LOSE IT AGAIN!

[pathology]

Shut the fuck up, you toaster oven eyeball!! [SO MUCH ANGER. IT WAS THE HEEAAAATTTTTT OF THE MOMENTTTTT as astrid shoots again. (ranged atk 18; dmg 7 if it hits)]

[undealt]

You certainly don't have to keep trying to impress me, Astrid. [GRIMACING. As he tries fucking MAGE HAND one more time. Wheatley gets THE SADDEST BROWN EYES.] Sorry.

[charismapotion]

[ Stepping forward finally, Mars cast Shocking Grasp at Wheatley.

He didn't say anything, but he looks pretty pissed.]

[ideamachine]

You too, Mars? Traitors everywhere! In this den of snakes. Well, how about instead of doing that you COLLAPSE THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AMID SCANDALS OF WRONGDOING! Ho, ho!

[pathology]

NOBODY FUCKING CARES! [ /ignores gold's weirdness. gotta make these last bullets count. HEEEEATTTT OF THE MOMENT. ranged atk 21; 6 dmg ]

[undealt]

[GOLD LOOKS EVEN MORE GUILTY. MAGIC IS DOING THIS. MAGIC IS THE PROBLEM.

...He still casts another Mage Hand, but he looks utterly miserable about it.]

[charismapotion]

You go and flip the script, that makes you the enemy man. Sorry.

[ He spoke with a shrug, this time, casting Scorching Ray ( Attack Ray 1 +25, Damage 16. Attack ray #2 +13, Damage 14).]

[ideamachine]

The only thing I'm going to flip... is your weight! When it rains! That's right - any time you get all wet, you're going to weigh... twice as much! And no one is gonna like you, because you're going to be such a big, fat, ugly human. Take that! [ sorry gold. really, wheatley, you're only hurting yourself. this time, mars' spell hits and wheatley is so interfaced with the machine that it starts sparking mid-way through trying to turn gold's mage hand into a fattening spell-- ] Ah!! Hot, hot! Noooooooooo! [ wheatley's metal casing turns red-hot, and then he rolls out of the machine to get away from the heat, and... clanks to the ground with a sizzle, as the machine keeps sparking... and then suddenly seems to blow a few bits as the top of it explodes into flames. ]

... Ow.

[pathology]

Ow is right, you son of a bitch. [what if she shot him again just to make sure he's dead??? (ranged atk 17; 8 dmg if it hits. sorry wheatley.....)]

[ideamachine]

[ wheatley's voice warbles out as he powers down, spinning across the floor from the force of the bullet and clanking against the wall. ]

[charismapotion]

[ Mars stays quiet for a a few seconds after Wheatley powers down.] We need to get help for Emma and find Faye before the other comes.

[undealt]

[gold looks so traumatized by everything that's happened and just stares off at wheatley's poor little robot body.]

Take that one. We still need to report back to Hasmed on what's happening here. He might know something about Luckman we didn't find.

[that said he's... gonna remove his cursed shoes. ugh. how uncivilized.]

[pathology]

[she frowns, but ... ] I guess the god of chaos can't do much when he's all ... dead. Robot-dead. Whatever.

[she's not picking him up though.]

Can we just ... leave? We don't have any way to fix the Emma and Faye situation right now. We need reinforcements or something.

[charismapotion]

Choice is up to you and him.

[ He spoke, not really feeling exactly great about anything at the moment. He wont even look at Dead-Robo]

[undealt]

[Oh my god, you candy bitches. Gold hobbles to the dead-ish robot.]

We can potentially track Faye's whereabouts- she might not even be in the facility, given the unpredictable nature of that machine. As for Emma...

[Dreary sigh.] Transporting her all the way back in her condition may be difficult. Or potentially make it worse.

[SHE MIGHT BREAK AGAIN. OR SHATTER.]

[pathology]

That's why I'm saying to get reinforcements! If we leave, we can do a locate person spell and get more people to help us with Emma. [SHE'S NOT HEARTLESS. JESUS.]

[charismapotion]

Sounds smart enough for me. [ He spoke turning to move towards Astrid, then past. Time to gtfo.]

[undealt]

[Yep. Just gonna limp to the exit now. Alas, poor Emma and Faye. We shall return for you.]

[pathology]

Seriously? Is no one else going to — [pick up wheatley's corpse??? WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO DO IT???

she'll carry him out with her, but hate you both while doing it. MEN ARE FUCKING USELESS.]

[undeleted]

[ ♬ blinding - florence + the machine

behind them, the machine gives one last sparking whir, spurting as the power in the facility seems to flicker, the lights vanishing and then coming back on as something seems to overload.

when they head out into the hall, something gives them pause: a figure with its back to them, standing in the very center of the lobby, dressed all in white. it appears to be a brunette woman, her shoulders very tight, fingers flexing for a moment, before she reaches one hand up as if to claw at the skin of her neck tremulously. she turns towards them very slowly, an alien sort of expression in her eyes that's halfway between shock and horror and anger.

when she speaks, there's something terribly familiar about the voice. ]

You.

What have you done?

[undealt]

I believe we made good on a threat.

[ONE-LINERS ARE SO CHEAP WHEN YOU ARE CONSUMED WITH GUILT. OH GOD THERE WAS SO MUCH FIRE. HE'S SORRY. THIS ROBOT IS DEAD AND also what the hell. No really.]

At any rate, I don't imagine we'll be doing any more testing today.

[undeleted]

[ she looks severely unsettled as her hands drag down her cheeks, and then lower so that she can stare down at her own palms. ] This body... I know this body. [ she raises her eyes again, and the haunted look there only magnifies ] Caroline.