Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

[Earl of Purple]

"I rushed here, after. I thought there'd be safety and help here, and didn't want to trust anywhere closer. I don't know how long I travelled; I was too focused on my destination and getting away to pay much attention." The keldon tries to think back, but eventually shrugs. "Two days, maybe, between leaving the Delve and hitting the city, then half a day between then and reaching Trog's. I had some trouble finding it, which is pretty unusual. It's supposed to always be just around the corner." So he didn't seek help anywhere but Trog's, and the cybergroup were the first he'd met.

"Ser Daeron? That's really odd. I was sure his brain had been removed, the top of his head taken off and the grey matter all scooped out. Maybe I hallucinated it, or I saw the wrong face on the body." The Keldon looks a little shaken, wondering if the others are alive.

[Zefir]

I'm not sure where to go here. I don't know if the cyberguys can identify if he is under some influence. They will do a scan by now, but that kind of work is not what they are here for.

"It's safe to say that he was alive and what you saw was obviously some illusion or something. Sadly it's even hard for us to deal with that. It would need some mage to contain and solve the source of that illusion."

[Earl of Purple]

The scan reveals something wrong with the Keldon's brain. There's no worms or other obvious parasites like there were with Ser Daeron, but the brain still fits uneasily in the skull and is folded oddly. "That's a pity, if you're not up for the job then I'll have to keep looking."

Had they actually entered the dungeon, their implants would have provided some defence against the illusions and hallucinations wielded against them; I'd have tried to make the delve itself achievable for what I've seen them do so far.

[Zefir]

Yeah i didn't work them out enougth and mainly improvised them on the run. They might as you say manage the illusions, but I wasn't sure how fun it would be as they have actuall no personality.

"It might be best if you come with us and see someone." he says after he recived the result. "It might be you breathed in something back their." Not that this is true, but in some way it has happened.

[Earl of Purple]

"No, thank you. I'm fine, it's fine. I've been breathing other air for several days, it'd be all flushed out my system by now. I just want to stay here and slowly pickle my liver." He means get drunk, with that. Pickle it in alcohol. "I do not wish to go anywhere, least of all with you." He crosses his arms and glares, apparently upset or insulted. Certainly trying to be intimidating.

[Zefir]

The cyber man seems to be less ammused by that outcome and his face darkens. What kind of mood change is that guy going through? The others in the group stand up as if someone told them to be ready.

The man talking sights.

"Your obviously under the same influence as your companion we met on the field. So whoever controlls you. Tell us what you want. I am sick of playing these mind games. We have the technologie to notice that something is in his head. And his mood change is another sign. We were helping him and told him things we wouldn't need to tell him and he suddendly hates us? Come on thats sus, even without any means of deceting the thing in his head."

[Earl of Purple]

The Keldon's head cracks open and he slumps to the floor, his brain having apparently grown two pairs of scaled legs as it cracks its way free and leaps for the door. The Keldon's dead, but the intellect devourer that had been masquerading as the dead adventurer has not managed to escape yet.

What it wanted was to send people who couldn't handle the dungeon to its hidden masters, and the cybergroup's interaction with Ser Daeron means this pawn's state is now too risky to continue. It's also apparent the brain-thing trying to escape isn't the same sort of thing as the parasite in the knight, as that was not able to try escaping in this manner.

[Zefir]

The Cyberman is really confused by those events, yet not disgusted. He and his group were ready to pin the man, but this is kinda... unepected.

This kind ofevent should even raise a little attention in Trogs. After all there are brawls and stuff. Anyway since they are ready the smallest guy of the group draws his weappon and shoots at the running brain. He has good aim, but he has never met that kind of enemy. He's not able to read its moves and if it dodges it can avoid most shots.

[Earl of Purple]

The intellect devourer dives under a table to avoid the bullets or laser fire, though there's a psychic squeal as it's winged by one of the shots and a splash of grey-green ichor is pooling in its footprints. It darts from table to table to keep cover, heading towards the door. It's slower now, to avoid getting shot, and they might be able to catch it or get in front of it.

[Thursday Violist]

Mogzoku clicks his tongue awkwardly, looking back towards the front door then back to Venus.

"Oh, right, kupo..." Mogzoku acknowledges non-committedly, "That's rough, kupo." He then faces the counter, rasing his hand above it. "Hey, bartender! Can I get a drop of your weakest stuff?" he calls out.

Venus, in spite of how she's been asking, hasn't actually had any alcohol. Just lemonade.
So... she's in control of her faculties enough to see Mogzoku glancing at the door and to try to reason out what's up: Venus figures he must have come here for a reason, and that reason is "Oh, you're here waiting for someone?" she asks. "Don't let me hold you up, then. This is something I've got to solve on my own, no need for you to get trapped in trying to solve it, too."

Besides, the bartender here is exceptionally experienced with dealing with cults.

Speaking of, one of the servers comes by and delivers Mogzoku a drink. The server is Paige, an elf. She gives a flirtatous smile and asks if he needs anything else.

[Zefir]

The intellect devourer dives under a table to avoid the bullets or laser fire, though there's a psychic squeal as it's winged by one of the shots and a splash of grey-green ichor is pooling in its footprints. It darts from table to table to keep cover, heading towards the door. It's slower now, to avoid getting shot, and they might be able to catch it or get in front of it.

It's laser, but having cover properbly decreases the chance to hit it.
"Get it." The man shouts into the bar, hoping another patron assists them.
The one shooting already continues, but with cover and movement he's not able to land a clean shot.
The woman and the guy with the shield go for the door, but unless anyone slows the thing down they won't make it. They try to not get into the line of fire so they have to go a bit around.

[Earl of Purple]

Somebody joins in the hunt, overturning their table; partly to serve as a barrier, and partly to reveal the disembodied brain that had just scuttled under it. The individual in question is tall, nearly three metres, with a red-skinned face bearing two long and relatively straight horns. They're muscular and quite bulky, a humanoid with large feet in hobnailed boots and too many fingers on their hands, wearing a black leather jacket and a black bicorn hat. The red devil grabs their polearm- a chainsaw mounted on the end of a long haft- and swings it easily through the air. The intellect devourer dodges the blow, by jumping back into the spot being peppered with laser fire, getting hit several times before it slumps over.

[Zefir]

The group makes sure the brain thing isn't moving anymore as they come closer. while the shield guy and the woman inspect it to be sure the guy with the gun covers them. The boss heads for the devil person.

"Thanks for your help." he says. "Those creatures seem to have set a lair nearby and this one tried to trick people to head over there." He takes a alook around as Trog's seems to be going on as usuall. They are after all used to fights here especially with the random encounters.
"May I ask your name?" The mans player would introduce him, but he forgot if he had given them any beforXD

[Earl of Purple]

"Rob. Call me Rob." The mask covering the devil's face. "That was a brief respite from boredom. I'll clear it for ya. A tonne of tobacco's me price. It's worth it, they won't be able to stand against me. Squishy git like that, they won't have a chance. But it won't be sporting, neither. So, a tonne."As he speaks, Rob reaches into a pocket and pulls out a long-stemmed pipe and begins to prepare it for use.

[Zefir]

The man looks kinda confused at the devil person. He needs a moment to understand it.

"Ah sorry pal, but we don't got any tobacco's." he says. "Would you even vbe able to stand there mind manipulation? It seems they can cast illusions in your head."

[Earl of Purple]

"Heh! Sure. Wouldn't be a problem, I reckon. Not that it matters, if ye can't pay. No tobacco, no murder." Lighting his pipe, Rob sits back down and starts to take a few puffs of the strong tobacco.

[Zefir]

The man is rather confused by the reply. He also isn't sure how much the tabacco would cost and in the long run they aren't here to clear those problems unless they work against their major plan.

"Rather bold, but if thats your way we can go with it." he says. He's not sure what to do with him now, but while they are already talk he can ask him something.
"You don't happen to be a regular around? We do look for someone and I wonder if you know her."

[Earl of Purple]

"Sure, I've been in town a while. Who's the broad you're looking for, and what's she look like?" A tonne of tobacco would be quite expensive, as well as bulky and awkward to move around. A thousand kilograms of anything is bulky, and tobacco is rather light. Rob leans back and starts to puff on his pipe.

[Zefir]

"The broad is a person from our homeworld." the man starts. "She's young, around 16 years ols and human. she used to have long red hair and likly wears clothing fitting a high rank in a church. It's hard to tell if that is still true as we look for her for quiet a while now."

[Earl of Purple]

"Sixteen-year-old human high priestess? Or archbishop or whatever title you lot give your ecclesiarchs. What church or temple would she serve?" The devil inhales a deep puff of smoke from his pipe, before exhaling it out into the face of his questioner, his mask remaining a rictus grin.

[Zefir]

"High Priestress, unless she changed it." he says. As the smoke reaches him he wipes the smoke away with his hand to clear his sight. He doesn't cougth as he breaths in the smoke and continues. "Deus MEchanicus, our only real god, but she spreads fake storys about him."

[Earl of Purple]

"Nah, ain't heard of her. Or him. Try the big organisations, they've got better resources for it. MERC, HALO, an' so on. MERC might be interested in clearin' out the place you know of, too. You bore me, now. I'll have a gallon of lager if you want more." They're in a pub, so theoretically buying him a gallon of lager is more achievable than a tonne of tobacco.

[Zefir]

"I'm not here to entertain you." the man points out. He's not sure if the devil/demon creature thinks he's the king around here or just has a terrible way to speak out that he can't spend his time for no profit. In Any way. "Well, that's it then for me, have a nice day." They don't have anything else to ask and their main goal is to find that woman. That means they are back were they are with the exception that they can now go to MERC for their job.