[Numenera] Team B - Session 5

Cast: Same as Last Time.

"Zork?"

"Yes Highness?"

"If I get an 'A' on my exam can you give me a power up?"

"Those are built into the game highness.  I'm afraid that it really is beyond my control."

"Really?  Nothing?  You know my motivation might improve considerably if you can find SOME way..."

(Sigh)..."I'll see what I can do highness."

The group circles back briefly to recheck their gear and pretend they hadn't set out yet.  After taking inventory of lantern oil and the like, they set out again after establishing a marching order.  As the group proceeded, Valina periodically checked to make sure that there were no telepathic intrusions.  None at the start.  The group was able to travel to the estate of Fat Farmer only to discover that the bugs had learned Civil Engineering skills and built a berm all the way around the farm.  The house was collapsed (from when the group had killed the mega bug) but the barn, the well and the workshop were intact.

The group considered many options, with Johannes taking the lead over the berm.  Nothing happened.  The group went over the berm carefully one by one.  Nothing happened.  Valina gave Johnnes a cypher that would give him telepathy to give the group a link in case they got separated. The group resumed marching order and went to check out the barn.    Something happened.

A giant sink hole opened in the ground and five bug men began attacking the party.  Many of the group and the militia fell in, but Jaybez, Urshinabi, Johannes and Rook (one of the archers from Jeff) shot down arrows to the group.  The Bug men killed two militia and dragged down more.  Nine were saved.  Valina was initially able to grab on to a rope while Jaybez, Urshinabi and Johannes shot projectiles at the bug men attacking Zax and Valina whilst Rook shot the one attacking his son Gil.  Zax made it to the top and was set to start helping others up, when one of the bug men leapt up out of the ground and dragged him back at the last minute.  Valina nearly made it as well but was attacked (Specifically targeted by the hive mind) and dragged down to the bottom of the sink hole.  Gil was drug under, whilst stabbing the bug man attacking him.  Crying with despair, Rook jumped in after him.

Zax, enraged at this point that the bugs were attacking him, focused on attacking just the bug man which allowed it to drag him down.  He did a lot of damage to it, but the lack of air started to get Zax.

"What is this screen that says impending death in 10 seconds?"

"Well it appears you're likely to lose the game highness, though I might note that the structural design of this sync hole indicates that there might be air at the bottom.  You could probably swim down."

"They're going to kill Zax?"

"Possibly highness but-"

"They're going to kill Valina and all these other people?"

"I think so highness but-"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRG! I am Prince Caltroth Zortar Alaoraran Deathskullsplitterawesomesause XXXII heir to the Multi Galactic Imperium of DOOM and I am not going to have my Character killed by a bunch of stinking Ant Men!!!!! YOU HEAR ME!"

Zax "the divine" grabbed ahold of the Bug Man's antenna and rode it like a steer, forcing it back up towards the sunlight where it burst out, much to the surprise of everyone else involved where he then turned around and killed it with his Halbard.  Valina grabbed on to one of the ropes.  Johanes meant to carefully charge the bug man attacking her and ended up falling right past the bug and straight down into the sink hole.

Valina and the others got up to the top, including Zax.  They looked around and then began looking for the real entrance to the compound.  The top of the giant mound was covered up.

"Highness?"

"Yes, Zork?"

"I am not able to give you unlimited feed on the game for a wide variety of reasons but I can analyze the feed into your V/R device."

"And?"

"I believe if you look right...HERE...you will find the entrance to the tunnels."

"Awesome.  Thanks Zork. That would have taken forever to find."

"Never let it be said I don't encourage your scholarship highness."

Zax lead the group right to the tunnel entrance.

Meanwhile, Johannes, Gil and Rook were trying to get out.  A bug man attacked them but Johannes quickly discouraged the bug from thinking that this was a good idea.  It ran.  They found some cyphers and then followed the bug.  Along the way, a tiny little acid slug thing randomly killed Gil, but only after Rook pushed Johannes out of the way, saving his life.  Gil was dead and Rook was devastated.

Up at the tunnel entrance, Zax took the lead but accidentally set off a land mine that went off straight in Jaybez's face, harming him, MeatCake and Urshinabbi.  Zax healed them.  They continued onward.

Rook and Johannes fell into a pit with spikes but managed to avoid the poison.  They climbed out of the pit.  Johannes sensed some bugs coming their way and prepared to kill them by throwing down some lantern oil and getting ready to light it.  Rook stopped him at the last minute by pointing out that the Hive mind was decieving him and it was the rest of the party.

Zax proceeded to heal them all.  Rook saw this and desperately asked Zax if he could bring back the dead.  Nonplussed, Zax explained he could heal but not resurrect.  Crestfallen, Rook sat down and wept.

"They're really real aren't they?"

"I..."

"These are real people."

"Well-"

"What the hell kind of game IS this Zork?"