Yay, Rake's okay! He jumped off to safety before it was too late. Rake doesn't fly well, nor quickly, but (as long as he's awake) he can fall from pretty much any height without any trouble.



At the bottom of the ladder shaft (it takes a good three minutes or so of climbing down), things are still lit up.

The Duke is in a long tunnel running east and west.

At his feet is the hatchway door he punched downward, very dented. Its fall has cracked the plastic floor, and made quite a dent in it, too.

He sees no doors to the east (not for certain, anyway-- there might be some way down there almost out of sight-- he can't be sure).

To the west, there are doors.

The first door, to his left, is unmarked.

The second door, to his left, is unmarked.

The third door, to his left, is unmarked.

The first door to his right is kind of a good 50 yards down there, but it looks like it might have some sort of signage outside of it.

The doors (as far as he can tell) have no windows-- they're just solid-looking metal doors.

Alyn climbs down after them.

"Anyone who wants to come rest should come after us, otherwise stay up by the vehicles." Alyn said, before sending a quick mental ping to the moths to let them know he was descending and that they were free to go hunting or just hang out and watch the vehicles.

After getting down to the ground, he says as he points to the right door.

"Well that looks like the visitor center. Duke? We should 'scout ahead' that way first. I'd think there'd be food in a visitor area, right? Plus that way Ajak can rest while you 'scout' some more."

Ajakstu waits until he hears the lumbering pf feet away from the base of the ladder. "Don't steal our walkers," he orders Kalsk before descending.

The Duke entheusiastly saunters off in the mentioned direction. Food was good!

"I figured we'd come with you, but we'll guard things up here if you want..." says Kalsk. "I suppose with The Duke, it's not like you can't take care of yourselves..."

(The Duke, roll Insightful, please...)

Don't worry Ajak. I trust them. Especially since they know I can kill them from across the Cosmos if I needed to. Cat-heads explode from telepathy and multi-state matter all goes POP with pyrokinesis. Or when dominated into self-detonation." Alyn said with a casual shrug, but in a comforting tone of voice. Even though what he said was totally scary and kinf of mildly psychotic. Especially as matter-of-factly as he said it. But on the plus side, it was Alyn and his looks and charm sure softened this truth a bit. "And I think the moths could eat them both too if need be. Gosh I had no idea I could cause so much destruction up close and afar. Who knew?" he added casually as he kept walking along the tunnels in a saunter.

"But like I said, I trust them both so it will be fine." he added.

Because Ajak must have known that The Duke and Alyn were absolutely two of the most safe and stable people to be near. Certainly.

The Duke passes the doors on the left, not giving into the temptation to open them, at least not right now.

He also passes a big red button without pushing it. Good job, Duke!

He even notices a hidden panel in the wall. It's almost seamless, but not quite.

But none of these things say FOOD, and The Duke had picked up the idea that there might be FOOD in the--

--Ah ha! The Visitors' Center! The sign says so!

The Duke looks in the little window of the door. Are those vending machines?!?!?

The Duke opens the door. They DO look like vending machines!

The Duke turns on the lights. The room is well-lit and painted in soothing shades of pink and light green. But let's look at those vending machines!

There is food! And it doesn't look a million years old!

The Duke is about to try to smash the glassteel when he hesitates. Look... look at those prices... Some of these items are... free...?

That candy bar, for instance! Its price is 0!

The Duke pushes buttons.

The candy bar falls!

The Duke retrieves it! Opens it! It's chocolate!

Mmm, milk chocolate with hazelnut and just a hint of caramel.

The Duke eats it!

Then he pushes the buttons again!

Another candy bar falls!

The Duke retrieves it! Opens it! It's chocolate!

Mmm, milk chocolate with hazelnut and just a hint of caramel.

The Duke eats it!

Then he pushes the buttons again!

Another candy bar falls!

The Duke retrieves it! Opens it! It's chocolate!

Mmm, milk chocolate with hazelnut and just a hint of caramel.

The Duke eats it!

Then he pushes the buttons again!

Another candy bar falls!

The Duke retrieves it! Opens it! It's chocolate!

Mmm, milk chocolate with hazelnut and just a hint of caramel.

The Duke eats it!

Then he pushes the buttons again!

Another candy bar falls!

The Duke retrieves it! Opens it! It's chocolate!

Mmm, milk chocolate with hazelnut and just a hint of caramel.

The Duke eats it!

Then he pushes the buttons again!

Another candy bar falls!

The Duke retrieves it! Opens it! It's chocolate!

Mmm, milk chocolate with hazelnut and just a hint of caramel.

The Duke eats it!

The Duke is happy and relaxed.

The Duke pushes the buttons again...

(The Visitors' Center is a safe place to rest, and about 12% of the items in the vending machines are free.)

Alyn, with much amusement, watches the Duke do his thing at the vending machines. He goes up to them and checks them out as well. It's been a while since he had things like chocolate and such since coming to the future (or whatever he did) and he took a few candy bards for himself for later.

He went and got Ajakstu, who was sort of hiding in the backline like usual.

"Yo Jack? Are you going to rest a bit? If So I'll try some psychic healing again to see if I can pass more energy onto you too since I'm fine physically beyond just needing a little general rest." Alyn said.

OOC: Ajak let us know if you're resting.

The Duke happily munches away on the snacks from the machines a small pile of wrappers forming at his feet making a calming sound as he wobbles through it to the next machine when the machine finally gives up and exclaims its out of free snacks. When he speaks his tone is dreamy and wishful and clearly in the tone of his 'other' persona.

"Oh man imagine if these machines where not this greedy and gave everything to me for free."

ooc: A 7 meaning the GM will do his best to make some part of the weird mad babbling come true, as soon as narratively possible, but it might not be entirely beneficial.

10:39, Today: The Duke rolled 7 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 2,4.  And so its written.

"Resting, yes, a most excellent idea." Ajakstu pondered trying to get something from the machines, but The Duke was in full on hand to mouth mode. It was worth noting that he was at least unwrapping the food. For now.

"Heal away...but there is something down here...."

Alyn nodded and "herded" Ajakstu into laying down on one of the cots. Alyn himself went and pulled one of the reclining chairs from the lobby over to the cot, and sat down into it and began to focus his energies. His eyes flashed unnaturally with psionic energy before he closed his eyes and laid his head back on the chair (using a pillow if necessary because he for sure as hell wasn't gonna be uncomfortable while he did psychic healing!).

In this state, Alyn was in something of a psionic trance. He was getting basic rest himself, but since his vital energy was already at its maximum at the moment he allowed the "overflow" to flow across the psychic connection he had established with each of the party members very early on (in this case to Ajak's connection) and sent the energy across it and flowing in a  peaceful surge into his comrad's body. This ensured that at worst, Ajak would still recover some of his missing vitality!

19:10, Today: Alyn Reed rolled 8 using 2d6 with rolls of 4,4.  forceful

So that's enough for 1 health level regained, which I'm using his psychic abelites to just "donate" over to Ajak since Alyn is at max health.

AJAK YOU STILL NEED TO ROLL 2D6+FORCEFUL AS WELL TO SEE IF YOU NATURALLY RECOVER ANY HEALTH TOO!

20:39, Today: Ajakstu Gul rolled 5 using 2d6-2 with rolls of 2,5.  Health recovery with first of two -1 penalty.

"Bah!" Ajakstu cursed. "Your eerie powers seemed to have helped, but I can get no rest knowing Fishbreath and Gasbag are watching the walkers and that some malevolent being creeps towards us from the darkness."

With that he set about picking real and imaginary dirt from his hat.

OOC: Grats on the experience point though!

Alyn nodded.

"I'll see if I can try to help you again when we rest up next time, but for now I can only do so much in one sitting. You know?" Alyn replied.

"We should go take a look around soon. Don't worry about our furry and elemental companions. I think they are cool cats. Literally in one of their cases. And if not, then know the murder-moths are watching them. They keep incessantly begging me to allow them to "just take a nibble" and "a little taste" of them. Gluttonous little buggers." Alyn added with a shrug,

"Anywho...I could use your help as I proceed deeper into the military base. I really, REALLY want that hardware so I can reboot that Doomwalker and make it into an Alynwalker. And Dukie should be keen on helping us too since I delivere don my promise to get him lots of food for our stores and his stomach. But there's something with a powerful intelligence down there and I;m not sure what it is. I didn't probe it just in case, you know? But I want that driver for my Alynwalker, dammit!"

"So........." Ajakstu slowly said. "You WANT the baddie to bring it on? And I get the treasure that doesn't get the walker to your desired level of technomancy?"

Alyn shook his head.

"No I just need to go fetch the driver from down there. I can go back to the Doombot and install it myself. Although as for other treasures...I'm sure there's interesting stuff down there. I mean no risk no reward, right?" he replied.

Something is coming down the hall... something noisy. A robot, maybe.

It speaks, too, as it gets closer and closer... "REQUEST RECIEVED FROM VISITORS' CENTER-- REQUEST RECIEVED FROM VISITORS' CENTER-- REQUEST RECIEVED FROM VISITORS' CENTER..." Yeah, sounds like a robot, maybe...

We gonna go look out in the hall and see what's coming?

Or just look out the window built into the door? (Whatever it is'll be on top of you before you know it, that way, though...)

Alyn figured that while he had a forcefield and kewl powerz, that sometimes it was better to be safe than sorry. At the very least, to get an idea of what to expect. So looking through the window seemed more appropriate. If the thing looked super hostile, he could mind probe it or something. If it looked more friendly, then he'd try and play nice and discourage the Duke from trying to use it as a toothpick.

Alyn looked knowingly at Ajak before getting up and going first to look through the window in the door.

The Duke pushes the button and a snack drops down.

The Duke looks at the door where a thing is coming.

The Duke takes the snack and unwraps it.

The Duke eats the snack.

The Duke is happy and whatever is coming is going to have a bad day spoiling that.

A walking vending machine with arms and legs is almost to the door... As it comes near the door, it starts throwing soda cans at the door. KLONK. KLONK. KLONK. Ow, those would hurt if they hit. "FREE BEVERAGES FOR VISITORS... FREE BEVERAGES FOR VISITORS..."

It starts to open the door...!


(Orleon, give me just another moment to introduce you...)

Alyn shrugged and walked back and over to the Duke, before shouting.

"Oh Duuuuuuuuuukie! It's for you!" Alyn said as he stood way back and out of the way of the hilarity that was probably about to ensure.

The Duke looks at the ruckus and claps his hands loudly chewing on the latest candy bar. As he speaks frothy chocolate droplets fly around.

"O i never was allowed soda cause i started to accidentially wreck things at home!"

The Duke rushes to collect his free sodas.

Alyn walks back a bit more - like 30 feet away - and watches the show.

Ajakstu gathers Rake and slithers under a table. "Mayhap there might also be ale or lager or stout in those cans! Be selective in your takedown Duke!"

The Duke and the walkingtalking vending machine open the door at the same time.

(Roll... Hmmmm... Forceful, I think, The Duke. Someone's about to throw a soda can at you. Let's see if that's a problem or not...

Orlean, you'll be coming along here soon, honest...)

The Duke meets the robot with an expecting grin and grabby hands at the ready. And it that drool forming on the corner of his mouth?

ooc:
02:49, Today: The Duke rolled 8 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 3,3.  Is it a problem?