trypticon
Dec 25, 2003, 06:14 AM
The Principal's chamber was cold and musty that night, as four people enter and begin the short approach to the big guy's desk. Each of the four had been given a message that hinted at some great emergency. The people of Pioneer 2 had settled the planet Ragol four years ago. There was still some trouble with animals rampaging the small villages that had been set up as living quarters, but all in all, the troubles that had almost completely wiped out the residents that arrived on Pioneer 1 were past. Dr Osto's parasite cell had been acquired then quarantined in Dr Montague’s' lab, and otherwise killed off from the surface of the planet. Many citizens had lost their lives due to that experiment, and the people from Pioneer 2 were fairly livid in their knowledge that what led to the death of almost half the civilization from their original planet had been a governmnet backed, and supported experiment. The Principal had appologized many times over for the shortsightedness of his predecessors, but to little avail.
As the four people reach the principals' desk, he turns to greet them. "Greetings, you people, I am the principal. Perhaps you've heard of me." The words were not so much a suggestion of knowledge, but more a statement of fact. Anybody who had been aboard the Pioneer 2 during its long mission to this cursed planet would have known of him. It was the principal that had come to the aid of the people so often, he that had finally killed Elley Person, and had influenced the lovely Nol to star in adult cinema. Moreover, it had been he that had defeated the vicious Nugz, along with the rest of his clan. Many people had tried to do these things before, but none had been able to do so from the comfort of their own desk, which the Principal was almost unable to move from. Rumors hinted at him being seen behind another desk once or twice, in preparation for some quests that paid mercenaries used to take part in. But those were just rumors. For all anyone knew these days, the man was permanently affixed to the rear side of this semicircular desk, the drawers of which could be described as his own pockets.
"I'm glad you have all decided to come here today to see me. There is a great matter of importance for you to have done so." As he spoke, his flat, dead, pixilated eyes passed over each of the visitors in turn. "You have all come here from different villages off of Ragol's surface, so you may or may not know about what I am going to tell you. The areas where pioneer 1 set up operations on Ragol's surface have all been declared haunted. You all come from villages surrounding those areas, and you have been selected to act as an official ghost buster for your village."
The four visitors, knowing of the ghosts from the inhabitants of Pioneer 1, all shake in fear. Their respective villages all bordered on areas where Dr Osto's parasitic cell had been released. The central dome was no more, having been flattened in an earthquake three years prior to this meeting. Gal De Val Island was a great beachfront with condos going up seemingly every day. The large squids that used to terrorize the hunters following Pioneer 2's exploration of the area had inspired many fishing tourneys, as well as a great fishing company that supplied seafood to all of the surrounding villages.
But that didn't dispel the fact that ghosts were prevalent in the areas. The villages were sometimes ransacked by reported zombies, out for people's brains so that they may live longer, and the place where the Central Dome had been located was visited not only by ghostly past residents, but also large dragon spirits that were said to eat people's souls. In each of the four visitor's minds, the same question repeated itself; what about the broken vending machine in lobby 13?
The principal, remarkably, moved a few inches to his left, as if to get comfortable or something, "Look, you people, I'm not gong to lie to you. The vending machine problem is a big one, but lobby 13 needs to be ignored for now, it's been empty for the past two and a half years. After the vending machine broke, nobody wanted to set foot in that place again. But the problem with the lingering spirits of Pioneer 1 must be addressed quickly. All right, so it's been going on for four years now, so maybe not that quickly. But the point is, you are all here now, ready to serve, dominated by me, Principal Tyrell, ruler of the UNIVERSE!" The principal coughs for a moment, and looks up at the four again, "Sorry."
At that moment, Nol pops in and almost pops out, literally. The four guests know she's hot, but have never seen her up close before. Their mouths begin to salivate.
Nol sees the effect her appearance has on the four, and decides to use it to her advantage. "Hello, gentlemen, and lady. I see you know who I am, but I'm not aware of whom you all are. Why don't you tell me your names, each of you?"
In the cold dim light of the Principal's chamber, the four mercenaries stand in awe of the lovely Nol. Having gained an advantage over the mercenaries, the Principal continues where Nol sort of left off.
"You people," boomed the Principal, "I have asked you to accept this job to protect your respective cities. If you do so, you will each get life-size posters of Nol in her reporters costume to put up in your homes. I am sure that this will be a collectors item for years to come, unless one of you foolishly dupes it and spreads it to the city folk."
Nol gives a quick giggle, and proceeds to stride forward to place a gentle kiss upon each of the four people's lips. Each of them is standing at attention, except for the Hunewearl, who is just breathing heavily. But the question remains for each of them what exactly is expected of them.
The Principal, giving a cocky smile to Irene, who has entered the room and taken up her normal position behind her own desk, begins to answer that very question. "Each of you comes from different cities. One of you is from the city of Mac, one of you from the city Chili, another of you is from the city of Cheese, and the last of you is from the city Burger. Since these cities are all fairly close to one another, you will likely pair up on occasion to help solve greater matters of concern that are spread throughout the cities as we know them. So you may end up getting together in the team that may be known as Mac and Cheese, or perhaps Chilli Mac, or Cheese Burger, Chili Burger, or even Chilli Cheese! But whatever you do stay away from Burger Mac!"
It's about this time that each of the four that are gathered before the Principal wonder whom the genius was who named these cities.
"Gentleman, and lady," Nol looks approvingly at the three men, and casts a withering glance in the direction of the only female among the four, "the Principal and Irene will both be your contacts during this job, as it is expected to last several years. I will be there to pep you guys up, but from the look of things, that may not be needed." Again, Nol glares in the direction of the only female that the Principal invited to this meeting.
"LOLOLOLOLOL!" laughs the Principal, "Don't you worry a bit about it, Nol, baby! You are still a pretty young thing in the history of Pioneer 2."
Nol seems a bit confused over what the Principal just said. "What the heck was that?"
"What was what?" The Principal asks, seeming perplexed by Nol's question.
"That LOLOLOLOL thing you just let out, what the heck was that?" Nol is acting as if this is a matter that must be cleared up immediately, perhaps fearing for the sanity of the man that led the way during the entire Pioneer 2 expedition.
"LMAO," barks the Principal, "I'm just laughing, sweet thing."
Nol still doesn't quite understand it, and remarks upon it to get her point across, "That isn't any laugh that I've ever heard. How can you even expect people to know what that is? Laughs usually begin with an H, or an M, such ass; Ha Ha, and Mwahaha. There is no L, and the only time an O is ever involved is with a Ho HO HO, but you can't even type that on PSO. Now go get yourself a dictionary, so you can learn proper English!"
The Principal suddenly feels very foolish, but is suddenly wondering if the new populace of Ragol, or the Ragolese, as they have named themselves, even speaks English. He is thinking it would be pronounced Ragrish, or something to that effect. Rather than present a retort that would cause the lovely Nol to look for the nearest Rabsters Dictionary, he drops the matter, and follows her stern advice by sullenly stepping out from his own office in search of the nearest library.
Now alone with the Lovely Nol, and the hideous Irene, the hunters are asked in turn to present their names.
The hunter from the city of Mac is named Blitz. The hunter from the city of Chili is named Lightning. The hunter from the city of Cheese is named Sandro. The last hunter, a female, is named Kwannon, she coming from the city of Burger.
Nol continues, because Irene doesn't say anything to anyone accept the normal 'find rico', junk, "Alright you hunters, now that I know all of you, I want you to go back to your respective cities and prepare for the investigation that is to follow. Since the cities are all located close to one another, feel free to pair up and help each other on different matters. Also, be advised that you are being provided a budget great enough that you are able to hire and recruit your own mercenaries to help you in your investigation. And one more thing," Nol steps closer to them, spins in a circular motion for no reason, lifts her arms the sky, then assumes a dragon stance, and places her hands between her legs, all the while impressing the male hunters, "as you embark on this great adventure, keep your mind open to new things. You have learned today that I am the true power over the principal, as he becomes a simple puppet before my radiating beauty! You will also learn other things as you make your way through your cities alone, or as a group. The path is likely clear enough if you follow it to it's end. I wish you good luck in your endeavors."
Exiting the government complex that housed the Principal, the hunters were awash with feelings of confusion over the mission they had been given. To each of them, the knowledge of what the principal had entrusted them with was disturbing. They all knew very well what type of activities they were expected to investigate. The activities were all ones that had been investigated unsuccessfully before. The previous investigations had all failed for the same reasons, everyone who had been directly involved had perished unexpectedly, and in painful ways.
Because of the danger inherent in the mission, the four hunters decide to form into a single team, and handle each city as a different case. Sandro suggests that the hunters go to the city of Chili first, and see if they can hire any help from the local hunters guild. This is agreed upon, and three days later, the hunters arrive in Chili.
"This place is a dump," Kwannon observes while looking out at the darkened cityscape, "I have a bad feeling about this."
Lightning steps forward and rests his hand on Kwannon's shoulder, "Don't worry, Kwannon. If anything happens, at least we'll be going down together."
Lightning gets three looks of disgust thrown at him from Kwannon, Sandro, and Blitz as they pass him on their way into the city.
"Hey! I'm just trying to lighten the mood here!" He yells, as he rushes to catch up to the others.
The air is filled with soot, likely because of the large mining operation that Chili is famous for, the haze so thick it seemingly could be cut with a knife. Or you could also just heat the haze up in a pot, constantly stirring, and turn it into the stag chili that the famed cutleries were named after.
About a mile into the city, the four reach the business district. It appeared more as a slum than a business district, and the only reason it was considered one is because of the several shady deals that went on there. The sides of the dilapidated buildings were lined with the homeless, their hungry eyes focused upon the graceful form of Kwannon as the four hunters make their way to the local hunters guild in search of new members for their investigation.
The funds the principal had given them were great, much greater an amount than any of them had ever had at their disposal at any other time. But each of them was wondering what type of help they could trust from a city such as this.
Upon reaching the hunters guild, the four decided that there would be a few conditions that were to be expected from any that they decided to hire. It was decided that they would need help from some different class types in order to succeed at the mission they had been given. Forces were needed, mercenaries with great mental capacity. As well, rangers would be favored in order to clear out rooms safely from a distance. While it was true that some forces could do the same as a ranger with a few chosen techniques, the forces were needed more as a support unit for the four.
At the registration desk, Kwannon asked to see a few mercenaries for hire. The number of mercenaries for hire could be counted on a single had, but the group managed to pick up two forces and a ranger. The force's names were Madison and NarmanB, and the rangers' name was Adam.
"So," Blitz began, "what are these haunted spots I've been hearing about in this city?"
This question got an immediate response from the hunter’s guild, almost as if the receptionist had been expecting the four all along.
The group of seven was led to a large cavern located on the outskirts of the city. The cavern was dripping with ooze, and as the seven peered into the dark interior, they could make out the distant screams of beasts best left to the imagination.
"Let's get this over with." Kwannon muttered, as she started into the cave.
The others followed her in, each of them trying to hold their breath as the fetid stench of the cavern seeped into their nostrils. Dark shapes paraded before the seven, simply hints at what may lie ahead of them, never coming close, but never staying quite out of their limited range of sight. After an hour of marching into pitch darkness, the seven emerged into a large circular cavern that was lighted mysteriously by crystals upon the walls and ceiling. The stalagmites and stalactites that had decorated the tunnel gave way to flat surfaces, with a large pit in the center of the room. Other than that, there was nothing, it was a dead end.
"Say buddy! We must have missed a tunnel or something! LOL! This is a ded end! LMAO!" Shouted NarmanB. The velocity of his voice causing the walls to shake, and the seven to lean left and right in the attempt of making it look good.
Blitz tosses NarmanB a hard look, "Silence, you fool! This is what we've been looking for."
As Blitz turns his attention back to the room, and NarmanB shuts up, the large pit in the center of the room explodes with flames. With the start of the flames, a loud wailing sound suddenly filled the air, as if hundreds of souls were suddenly screaming out for release. The seven were terrified, and began running aimlessly around the room. Madison was busy casting shifta and deband upon everyone before coming to a halt at the exit of the tunnel that led them to the current room. She turned her head quickly, noticing a scraping and scratching sound echoing through the tunnel heading for the seven. They were trapped in this circular room.
"There's something else coming!" Madison shouted to everyone. But the warning fell on deaf ears, as her it was lost among the screams of the fire pit, and the scratching of whatever approached through the tunnel.
The fires in the center of the room parted for a brief moment, and the apparition of a huge dragon filled the gap.
"ROFL!" Screamed NarmanB as the ghostly dragon appeared in the flames. The dragon turned its ghostly gaze upon NarmanB, and let out a booming cough in response to whatever it was NarmanB just screamed.
Rounding the rotunda, Adam appears out of the haze, with his Guld Milla blasting, hitting NarmanB square in the face. As NarmanB screamed in mixed terror and pain, he was vaporized by the combined power of the photon blasts and the shifta cast by Madison, which strengthened the user. The death of NarmanB causes the dragon to laugh in glee.
Still positioned at the exit of the tunnel leading into the circular cave, Madison screamed in fear as another dragon emerged and made itself known to the people. The newly emerged dragon also laughs in glee at the site of NarmanB's death.
The dragon spirit, bathed in flames, amazingly speaks! "You have done well by offering a sacrifice to the dragon god. Due to your offering, we are appeased." As the dragon finishes, the flames dissipate, and the ghost disappeared. The other dragon gave the six people a snort, grabbed the remains of NarmanB, and headed back into the tunnel.
Through the light of the room, Sandro suddenly saw something in the dark pit that the ghost dragon had emerged from. Bringing everyone's attention to the shiny spot, he asked, "What is that?"
In the half light of the round cavern Sandro, Blitz, Lightning, Kwannon, Madison, and Adam all stared into the rotunda at the bright shiny spot that seemed to have been left over as a gift from the ghostly dragon.
"What is it man?" Sandro asked as he looked back up to the rest of the group members.
Kwannon shook her head in wonder, or perhaps bemusement. "I don't know, but I'm voting for you to go down and get it, Sandro."
With that suggestion, Lightning stepped forward to make an offer, "Listen, everyone. This is my home city. If anyone is going to risk their life going down there, it had better be me..." he trailed off for a moment before picking up again, "... Well, seeing as how NarmanB is dead, at least."
The others agreed with Lightning, and he suddenly found himself stuck in a group of people without compassion for their fellow party member. But since he had nobody to blame but himself, he began the short decent into the pit to find out what the shiny spot was.
Reaching the rotunda floor, Lightning was greeted by the sight of scattered bones, and the smell of rotting flesh. Choosing his steps carefully, he made his way to the center of the pit to get to the shiny spot, which was now nothing but a dull red box. Slipping and sliding over the floor, his footsteps made a crunching sound as he passed through the pit. Lightning realized that much of the floors darkness was attributed to the large cockroaches that were swarming over the ground. Disgusted beyond belief, Lightning presses on.
Grabbing the red box, he rushed back to make the climb up to his waiting party members.
"So what was it?" Blitz asked as Lightning reached the rim of the depression.
Lightning holds the red box up for inspection
Everyone gasped in unison, "A rare!"
Kwannon swiped the rare out of Lightning's hands and opened the box. "You've got to be kidding me!" She screamed and tossed the red box to the floor of the cavern, spilling the contents of the box to reveal NarmanB''s head rolling out of it.
Madison meanwhile was thinking of something, "You know what? I think I know someone who can do something with that Narmanb head. We should go meet her right now."
So the group of six left the city of Chili, and began their march to the city of Mac. Blitz was excited, since Mac was his home city. He couldn't wait to get back there and hire some of his friends for this effort. The days during the march were hot ones, which only helped the NarmanB head decompose further in the box that it was carried in. The resulting stench was particularly nasty, and was causing everyone's tempers to grow exceedingly short. Before all was lost though, the group entered the city of Mac, and went immediately to a location that Madison seemed to know very well. The person they were looking for was a young force by the name of Alaina.
The location that Madison led the people to was a small bench positioned in front of a park. Madison cast her eyes around for a moment in search of her old friend Alaina, stopping on a seemingly empty spot. "There she is." Madison announced.
The other group members glanced in humor at the empty spot that Madison was pointing out.
"Yeah, that's really good Madison," Adam commented, "Is there anything else we need to do here before we leave?"
Madison was a bit insulted by the lack of trust she suddenly felt, "I find your lack of faith disturbing. Just give her a moment to finish her candy, and I'm sure Alaina will be right with us."
Minutes spanned into hours as Alaina remained away from her keyboard. Finally, as the day was drifting toward dusk, the shadows coalesced in front of the group, and Alaina's form took on substance.
"Haha!" Alaina began, "Sorry i was eating candy."
Adam laughed as well, which must have been a challenge for him, seeing as how he was an android. Then again, the classic example of an android is a robot with the brain of a human host, so perhaps it wasn't much of a challenge after all. "So nice! What type of candy was it?"
Alaina seemed to be lost in thought for a second as she thought about her answer. "There was chocolate, and Kit Kat. Oh yeah! I also had a Snickers!"
Everyone thought that sounded delicious. At least they would have, had it not been for the rotting NarmanB head in the box that they were carrying, it's nastiness permeating the air in thick wafts of stench.
"Alaina," Madison began, "We found a rare head here. Will you be able to make this into a weapon of some sort for us?" Madison opened the box with the NarmanB head in it, which immediately caused half of the group to puke.
Alaina seemed shocked for a moment as she gazed down at the lifeless head in the box. A tear formed at the corner of her eye, and she quickly wiped it away in frustration.
"What's wrong, Alaina?" Madison asked.
Alaina looked up at the six in the group before answering, she seemed to be very upset. "Do you know who this head belongs to?" She demanded. "This head belongs to one that used to love me! He always denied it, but I know he did. It was plainly obvious to everyone. He even gave me this thing wrapped in a present before." Alaina pulled out an unteked S rank called the ILOVEYOU mechgun. "I could never use it, but it was a clear indication of his feelings to me. He wouldn't even let me open it until after he left me for the last time."
Everybody else in the group was laughing openly by then, and it wasn't long before Alaina started laughing about it too. All hard feelings aside, Alaina took the head and began to fashion it into a weapon called the NarmanB Cane. When it was time to pay Alaina for her services to the group, she declined, volunteering instead to come along with the group as an active member. Before leaving the city, the group mass duped the NarmanB Cane, and took two of the canes along on the trip.
The wielders of the canes were Madison and Alaina, as they were the only two forces in the group. When the canes were used, they would usually spit out one of NarmanB's famous quotes, such as: BRB, or Dog peed on the floor, or I want to hack PSO so badly. Even though the quotes from NarmanB were annoying to the entire group, it was still better to have the weapons along on the trip, as it seemed to enhance the fighting of the two force characters. The special on the NarmanB Cane, though not incredibly accurate, would cause the entire group to be shunned by the enemies.
After a few days of fighting across the open range of Ragol, Kwannon took some time to ask what the stats were on the NarmanB Cane. Alaina took the time to answer this question as best she could. "It seems that the stats for this are -100% Native, -100% Altered Beast, -100% Machine, -100% Dark, and -100% Hit."
"Hmm." Kwannon replied with indifference.
"Is that good?" Asked Alaina, as she continued to miss over and over.
The open range fighting that the group was taking part in was done so that they may gain more skill in their chosen weaponry and armors. And after several days of work and exertion, the group felt that they were well off enough to venture back into the city of Mac to begin the investigation there.
What would our heroes find in the city of Mac? Where should they begin their search? The city of Mac was divided on two sides of a great river. The West side of Mac was a dark place, filled with hoodlums and other forms of scum. The East side of Mac was a place of bright lights and healthy living.
After long moments of deliberation, the group decided to begin their investigation in the West side of Mac. This half of the city was dark and mysterious, and even in the brightness of the midday sun, the west side still seemed to be shrouded in nothing but shadow.
The group was making their way into the city proper, traveling past dusty trails, and dirt roads, all the while looking for information on any problems the people may have known about. The search during the first day turned up empty handed, and the group retired to a large makeshift tent that Sandro and Kwannon had set up in the center of the People's Park.
As the rest of the group settled down to sleep for the night, Kwannon, Sandro and Adam sat up talking to each other.
"This search has been pretty bad so far," Kwannon began, "Just a bit more than a week into it, and we have already lost one of our hired help."
Sandro nodded in agreement, "Too right, Kwannon, love. We didn't even gain any substantial information from the city of Chili. It seems more like we just left the investigation altogether there."
"I happen to agree, Sandro. We are going to have to go back there eventually." Kwannon turned her head to Adam, who was sitting beside her. "Tell us a bit about yourself, Adam. We really haven't had a chance to talk at all yet."
Sandro agreed to this proposition, and crossed his robo legs in front of him.
"My name is Adam," Adam started, "perhaps you've heard of me. I am perhaps the only legit RAcast to ever hit level 200. Madison and I both come from the city of Chili, a place thick with great gravy trains, and large peppers that sing the stag chili song."
"I've seen those singing peppers before!" Sandro exclaimed. "At one time I killed a dozen of them before I was told that they were part of a festival that was going on. Man, did I feel stupid!"
Adam glanced over to Sandro in bemusement before continuing, "Yes, the singing peppers seem to throw a lot of people off guard."
Kwannon was laughing softly now, "He he he he! That must be so funny! How long have you been available for hire?"
Adam gathered his thoughts for a moment before answering, "I have been for hire for just about fourteen months now. Before that time, I was searching for a few people that I used to know. These people meant a lot to me, and I wanted to see if they were still around."
"Who were they?" Sandro asked. "Perhaps one of us knows them."
"Maybe. Their names were Jessica, Crystal, Vona, and Heather. Have you heard of any of them?"
Kwannon seemed to jump at this information, "Those names sound familiar. Why are you searching for them?"
Adam seemed to get uncomfortable for a moment. "I just want to see them again, it isn't very important."
The three drifted off to sleep after that, joining the others in the sweet Ragolian dreams of rappy meals, and barbeque booma ribs.
The next day, the seven members rose to start their search once again. The gloom of West Mac greeted each of them, as the tent was taken down, and they began further questioning. The hours passed by slowly with nothing suspicious arising to catch their attention. Shortly before the noon hour arrived though, they did stumble upon something interesting.
The information that the group received led them to an empty factory near the river. The factory had been placed there so that the manufactured items could quickly, easily, and above all, inexpensively be led down to the shipping docks, and sent over the river. It was really not a bad idea, and had provided a great amount of wealth to the factory owners before the haunting began.
After a quick overview of the report, it would seem that the haunting could simply have been some malfunctions of the machinery. The reports included technical specs that detailed several deaths being caused by the machinery acting up on its own. There were other reports of disembodies shadows wandering through the halls, and walking through doors, but those stories had not been investigated, so were inconclusive.
The seven walked into the factory and were greeted by piles of dust rising under their feet as they made their way down the factory isles. The machinery was covered with cobwebs, which gave the place the look of a spooky museum. Their footfalls were hollow sounding as they touched the floor, and it didn't help calm the nerves, as silence remained their only welcoming host.
One walk through the factory turned up nothing, and led to another complete walk through. After the second walk, with nothing turning up, the seven decided to divide themselves and take up their search on different sides of the building. Perhaps they would be able to surround whatever was in the place, and flush it out.
Kwannon and Madison took the left side of the building, starting their search in a slow manner, so as not to miss anything that may happen around them.
Madison was upset with her friend Adam, and was quick to let Kwannon know about it. "I hate him, he's such a freak. He would be nothing without me!"
"I don't know," Kwannon replied, "he seems OK to me."
Madison rolled her eyes at Kwannon, "Don't let him fool you. He is the biggest piece of $!@* on the planet Ragol. I hate him."
"Weren't you two supposed to be together or something?" Kwannon asked.
"HA!" barked Madison, "I wish he'd just leave now."
They continued their search down the empty isles, the machinery glinting dull gray in the half-light. As they neared the back wall of the factory, the dust swirled in front of them as if someone was running from their approach. Madison and Kwannon rushed to the wall and looked around the side of the nearest conveyor belt. What they saw turned their blood to ice. ________________________________________________
Blitz was searching alone through the middle isles of the factory. His search had turned up nothing but dust and more dust. He was about ready to give up when the machinery surrounding him suddenly began operating again.
He glanced around quickly in confusion, but wasn't quick enough to catch the sight of the large shadow that detached itself from the far end of the machinery, slipping away to the right. ________________________________________________
Lightning and Alaina had decided to stay behind and watch the front doors to make sure nobody tried to enter during the investigation that was going on inside. They were talking to each other in a jovial manner, having a good time in their paired company. Both of them jumped when they heard the machinery start inside the factory, and they were running through the entrance to the building when the doors suddenly slammed shut behind them, locking them in with the growing shadows.
Alaina turned to Lightning with a flushed look on her face as Blitz ran up to meet them. They all knew that something had gone horribly wrong. ________________________________________________
Sandro and Adam were investigating the right side of the factory. This area comprised of many maze like walls and doors that led to empty rooms, much like a warren. The machinery around them seemed to be of a crushing or melting variety, the engines unattended, and dry.
The two of them rounded one of the corners in the maze of walls and doors, only to find themselves confronted by darkness.
Sandro turned around quickly, "I don't think this is the right way, let's try to go back and find how we even got into this mess."
Turning around to start back, the two of them heard a low moan, and watched as the darkness that had just faced them spread itself out, covered them, and surrounded the two. Slowly, it began to squeeze.
Sandro was quick to spot the danger, "This doesn't look good!"
The two of them both drew their weapons and began striking out at the darkness surrounding them. Over and over, the two fought and repelled the darkness around them. The darkness, unharmed, continued it's slow advance and squeezing.
A deep laugh came from the shadows, and as it did so, the darkness withdrew from the two androids. Just before the darkness withdrew completely, a small ringing sound came from Adam, and his pet Sato started spinning in mad delight on his shoulder.
Although the two didn't know it, the dark shadow that had surrounded them had activated the machinery around them while they two had been trapped fighting.
The shadow had followed through with it's deviousness, and had gained another victim. Adam, not realizing that his sato had reached full potential, set loose it's power. Doing the normal dance that went with it, he spread his arms out to his side as the sato decided to so some sort of ineffective photon blast. When spreading his arms, they were caught in the surrounding machinery, pulling one of the arms off completely, while the grinder that had a hold on his other arm sucked up the whole of his body.
Screaming in perceived pain, as his body was grinded to dust, Adam was able to quickly look out at Sandro, and the other five that had reached him to bear witness to his last moments.
The six watched in stunned silence, all of them but one upset about it. On Madison's face, a smile spread from ear to ear.
After Adam was nothing but dust, a deep laugh shook the entire building. The shadows drew close again, covering the light completely, leaving the remaining six in pitch darkness.
The laughing that shook the building took on a demanding voice -MORE, MORE, I WANT TO SEE MORE-
The interior of the factory took on a new form of cold as the dark spirit blanketed over the remaining six members of the little company. Each of them was in shock because of the death that had just taken place before their eyes, frozen with fear while the darkness sapped away their strength.
"We need to get out of here, fast!" Sandro warned them with a deep breath. "We need to find our way to the front door of this place again.'
Alaina, sobbing at the back of the group cried, "We can't, the spirits closed the door and locked us in..." Alaina trailed off as the tears continued to flow.
Kwannon stepped forward to take charge of the situation, "We must at least try to break through. If it doesn't work, we will not be facing anything worse than we are by simply standing here."
The group of six slowly made their way through the black of the factory. The assembly lines, mashers, and engines continued their newly activated labor on all sides, as the group strove to avoid falling into the same trap that Adam had just moments before. Over the sounds of the revving engines, shouts and cries from the dark spirits that inhabited the factory could be heard, as if attesting to the living six that they were indeed still there, being forced to work at the machines for all eternity.
In the distance, a dim line of light could be seen, highlighting the frame of the huge locked doors.
"That's it!" Blitz yelled, as he ran forward to start breaking the doors down. "Hey, Sandro, come help me, you Hucasts are the strongest things on Ragol these days."
Sandro joined Blitz in the busting process, and seconds later Lightning joined the effort as well. Kwannon and Alaina faced out into the darkness, watching and waiting for something more to happen. After a minute or two, Madison joined the two girls at the door, and began looking into the darkness as well.
Kwannon glanced at Madison briefly, bothered by the delay in her reaching the doors, and wondering if there had been a reason for it. Everything seemed fine though, and she turned her attention back at the surrounding darkness that was slowly squeezing the air out of her lungs.
At Kwannon's side, Alaina was having thoughts of misgiving. She was upset by the sudden loss of a group member, and feared that the same fate was soon to be shared by them all. As she stood in the cold, fearful of what lay ahead, she realized that there were ghostly fingers brushing the sides of her face. The fingers belonged to the shadows, she concluded. She suddenly had the thought that the darkness had chosen her as the next victim. Beginning to sob once again at her newly realized fate, she waited for the inevitable.
Standing a bit away from the other five, Madison looked at all that was happening with a smile on her face. She had known of the darkness immediately, and had embraced it's touch openly. The cold that had settled within her upon first entering the factory had been a welcome respite to the warm feelings of life. Finally, she was able to let go of the pain forever, losing sight of herself and any worries she had ever possessed. So cold, she thought, so cold. Turning her head away from the five that had entered the factory with her, she silently called out to the dark spirits that inhabited the place, telling them where they would find the intruders. The rest of the company didn't realize as she did, that though the dark spirits inhabited the factory, they were unable to see anything past their own shadow. The sight that they relied upon was always that of a human host. In this case, that host was Madison.
Laboring to break open the locked doors, Blitz, Lightning and Sandro felt the growing cold at their backs. Each of them was fearful of what was going to happen, each sensing that they had stepped into a trap that would be impossible to escape.
Five of the members of the company were bunched close together, with only Madison standing away from the group, her back to them, not caring whether they would get the door open or not, as the darkness around them began to fade to light once again. A momentary bright flash replaced the black, and as the light faded back to the familiar half-light of West Mac, the spirits of the thousands of factory workers materialized in front of the little company.
Lightning saw the blank faces that now surrounded he and his fellow hunters. "Oh my... We didn't stand a chance.."
As he trailed off, the spirits, which had materialized standing at their workstations around the machinery, laboring away for the rest of their eternal damnation, all stopped as one. A chill greater than any the group members had ever experienced settled into their respective bones as every ghostly worker turned their empty eye sockets from the machinery to those that had broken into their factory.
Walking backwards toward the door again, her eyes passing over the dead faces that surrounded her, Kwannon reached a hand back to pat the arm of Sandro, as if proving to herself that she wasn't alone in all of this, "How... how is opening that door coming along, Sandro?"
Sandro was almost speechless, seeing the same sight that the other five were. "I... uh. I'm working on it... I guess." He turned back to the doors, working on the locks again, trying to push aside the thought of the thousands of dead workers that were resting their eternal gaze upon him at that moment.
Seconds ticked by without any movement from the spirits. It was as if the ghosts of the factory were weighing the danger of these new visitors, or perhaps simply wondering why these six people were not at their stations at the assembly lines and engines. Long moments passed without change, until a sharp snap sounded as Sandro, Blitz, and Lightning finally broke open the door. The sound caused a gigantic shift of the feel within the factory. The air around the six took on the feeling of a clinging force, slowing the group down as they pushed the broken doors off of their hinges so that they may escape into the semi-lit city once again. The faces of the dead workers around them changed from a shared look of disinterest to a visage of horror, which was enhanced by their separate shrieks of rage when they realized that the doors to their home had been shattered.
No longer standing, the ghosts took flight after the small group trying to escape from the grave that was waiting for them.
"Open... the... door...!" Alaina screamed slowly, as the clinging of the air around her continued to pull her back into the factory, and throng of spirits rushing toward her.
Lightning, slowly turning his head, because the clinging air was affecting them all in the same way replied, "I... AM....!!"
Through it all, Madison had not moved once. Acting as an island between her group members, and the oncoming wall of ghosts, she stood perfectly calm. Lost not only to those that had hired her, but also to herself; the feelings of guilt and confusion swarmed within her head and made her blind to all that was happening without.
The other five were still working on pushing open the broken doors, slowed by their fear, and by the very air surrounding them. Blitz turned around one final time, realizing that Madison had not yet joined them, "Madison... this... isn't... accomplishing... anything... You... must... come... with... us...! Ow! I... bit... my... tongue...!"
But Blitz's warning came too late. Madison, suddenly regaining her senses, turned back to the group with a shocked look on her face just as the wall of ghosts reached her. Visibly inhabiting her body, the spirits ripped her from the inside out. Shrieking in pain one last time, Madison fell to floor in pieces.
Blitz slowly turned back to the other four in slow horror. In so doing, he tripped over Alaina's heel, and tumbled in slow motion into the blockade, knocking it open finally, filling the dim interior of the factory with half-light.
The new light pouring into the factory broke the bonds that had slowed down the company members, and they ran out into the city again, Blitz lifting himself quickly off of the ground, before taking off after them.
He was around just long enough to hear the massive scream of pain and rage that come from the wall of spirits as the half-light of West Mac hit them.
Meeting again at a nearby tavern, the remaining five members of the group sat in shocked silence as the bar tender served them up some sarsaparilla.
"Two people, killed in the same factory," Blitz theorized, more to himself than to any other, "and we didn't stand a chance."
Alaina, staring straight ahead of her, was thinking of happy memories. She had to agree with Blitz though, "We didn't even have a clue as to what we were up against in there."
Kwannon looked up from her drink at that suggestion. "You are right, Alaina. We didn't take the time to understand what we were getting into before we jumped right in. We are indeed fools."
Lightning and Sandro nodded in agreement with them all. They were shocked at what had happened to kill the two whom had died in there. They had also been made painfully aware of their own limitations by the happenings of that investigation. The slow realization that nothing had been accomplished, or even discovered, hit the both of them at the same time, and it was then that Lightning began to act.
Standing up to get the other's attention, Lightning slammed down his drink upon the bar counter, as if to demand the respect he deserved. He was aware that what was needed was going to be an unpopular decision, but the outlooks of the others didn't mean it was any less necessary.
"We are going back." He announced to the group.
The reaction of the group was a difficult one for him to surmise at first, as he was only greeted with shocked looks, and wide eyes. He had better convince them of why they had to do so before they put up any argument against the matter.
Raising his hand to hold off any complaints or outbursts, he continued, "We have to. I know that none of us wants to, but we must do so. There is simply no other way in which to complete our mission. We have an understanding of what to expect now, both with the dragon cavern, and with the factory of ghosts. That understanding will at least allow us to prepare for what will happen this time."
Kwannon couldn't help but break in before Lightning was able to complete his explanation, "I don't know about you, Lightning, but I saw what was going on back there. They did something to Madison while we were in there. They took over her mind or something, and it looked like she didn't get it back until right before they ripped her apart, as if they wanted to make sure she could feel the pain! What you are suggesting is simply lunacy! We have no chance against even one ghost, let alone the thousands we saw in there. What chance do you even think we could possibly have against a spiritual force that large?"
To Kwannon's surprise, Lightning replied with, "A better chance than you might think. Allow me to explain."
Kwannon was interested enough in what Lightning had to suggest that she settled down for s moment.
"We all saw what happened in there, and I think that it did so because we were getting close to something important. What's more, Blitz has informed us of the spirit's reaction to the light when the doors were finally thrown open, they couldn't take it. Since nobody in West Mac will tell us what happened in that factory to kill all those workers, we are going to have to take our chances with our actions inside that place. It seems to me that those people must have all died in a relatively short amount of time, almost as if it had been something within the factory that had finished them off. I want you all to explain to the group what it was you saw in your searches of the different sides of the factory. Leave no details out, as they might be a hint toward something larger."
The different group members each went over their separate journeys through the building, leaving out no details of what it was they had come across. The story of Sandro's investigation was the most informative. It was a quick decision that this was where the investigation had to start once again.
It was decided that they would all group together that time, and explore the side of the building that Sandro and Adam had during the first foray. They would tie themselves to each other by a rope to ensure that nobody would get lost in case the darkness overwhelmed them again. As well, they would take the doors off of the hinges first, and chop them into pieces, hoping that the added light would help keep the spirits at bay.
When the plan was all said and done, it seemed safe enough. They were standing side by side in front of the factory once again, tied together by a rope that was knotted at each of their waists.
"This is it," Kwannon observed, "Good luck everyone."
Just then, Blitz came up with a radical idea. "Hey! I've got an idea. Let's go hire a few more mercenaries from the hunter’s guild to help us in here. At least they would be more people for the spirits to pick on, if things don't go our way. How many people can we afford with the funds we have left over anyway?"
Kwannon thought back to the bank statement for a moment. Then realized that there was no need for her to do so "We have an unlimited amount of funds for the investigation process."
Blitz was happy about this. "Great!" he exclaimed, "Let's go into the city and visit one of my old haunts. I know a place where we can get some good help."
"Yay!" Shouted Alaina at this suggestion. "Now we won't die!"
"Oops, the dog peed on the floor." the NarmanB cane quipped as Alaina followed after the group.
"Nobody cares." Lightning replied.
The group moved into the downtown area of West Mac, a part of the city that seemed even darker than the rest of it, for some reason. Blitz decided to pull out a flashlight to light the path up a bit.
Ahead, a small one-story building came into view. It was here that Blitz lead the group. Since this was his home city, the group trusted him enough to know what he was going.
Taking respective seats around the lobby of the building, the group waited for Blitz to do his work at the front counter.
Blitz rang the bell at the front desk, waiting for service. He hoped against hope that his friends were still there, because he had always wanted to sacrifice their lives to a higher god. Now that he had the opportunity to do so, he wouldn't pass on it for the world. Something in the back of his mind whispered that it was not right to think things like that, but the madness of the factory had already taken over, and had helped to guide the spirits from the factory outside into the rest of the city. The downtown area, dark at all times of the day, suited them perfectly.
The receptionist for the hunter’s guild greeted him, and asked him if he needed anything.
"Oh yes, baby." answered Blitz, "Show me the hunters for hire that you have right now. Every single one of them, as I'm looking for a lot."
The receptionist pressed a button, which caused the wall behind her to swing open, the different mercenaries being displayed on the rotating floor. The receptionist raised one arm, showing them off in the manner of a professional displayer from a morning game show.
Blitz liked what he saw, and thought that he could kill them all. Glancing back to his fellow party members, he realized that it would be harder to kill all the mercenaries off with those four along. The madness in his brain started trying to work out a plan.
Two hours later, with no plan thought of, Blitz realized that the receptionist was impatiently asking if he is interested in hiring any of the mercenaries that were being displayed, as her arm was getting tired. The mercenaries for hire must have been getting tired as well, as they were all sitting on the rotating floor by then, some of them having gotten sick because of the continuous spinning.
"Oh yes, I would take all of them, BOOMSHAKALAKA!"
The doors to the back room opened, and twenty- six mercenaries jumped out, each of them ready to work.
Blitz paid the receptionist the $26,000 that was charged, and the thirty-one of them all left to take on the factory again.
"I have a bad feeling about this." nobody-fifteen stated as they all faced the factory.
Three of the thirty-one people looked at him in agreement, but the rest of them were confident that they would be able to take on the place successfully.
The attack upon the factory began with the breaking of the front doors. Though they had been broken down during the previous escape, they had somehow been rebuilt, and were seemingly as strong as they had been before they had been broken down originally. Long moments of kicking, pulling, shoving, and hacking caused the door to break down completely. This time, Lightning was sure to hack the doors into pieces in the hopes that they wouldn't be put back up while the group was inside.
Once the doors were broken down, the inside of the factory was illuminated by the half-light of West Mac. The thirty-one members of the newly expanded company stopped to gaze at the destroyed form of Madison for a moment before continuing on in.
At Sandro's suggestion, the group was split in two, or almost two, as there were an odd number of people in the party. Fifteen people stood by the open entrance into the factory, the remaining sixteen ventured forward, all headed to the area that Sandro and Adam had explored the last time they went in.
They found the maze like halls quickly, and winded through them into the declining light, further into the darkness that five of them knew would be waiting ahead.
"This is it." Sandro stopped before a door on the far end of one hall. Opening the door, the sixteen people are greeted by complete blackness. The members of the split party slowed their pace as one, all gazing into the darkness that waited for them. The eleven new members of the group had no idea what they were looking at, but the five that had been there before knew what this darkness meant.
They had found what they were looking for; it must be in this room.
Blitz, his mind freaking out in excitement over the new victims that he knew would be taken in this fight, suggested that they send in one of the new party members in order to bring the darkness out of it's hiding place.
The other four from the main party agreed to this with an amount of reticence. They all know what was about to happen.
A mindless drone by the name of ADE was sent in. A moment later, he ran out of the room with the blackness following after him. Letting out a girlish scream, ADE was eaten alive.
The blackness turned its attention on the remaining fifteen party members, who were laughing in delight at the death of ADE.
"Oh man," laughed Kwannon, "that was so funny! That guy had it coming!"
Blitz is screeching in delight at the death, growing stronger as ADEs' brain was sucked out of its skull, being consumed by the collective spirits in the factory.
Meanwhile, Sandro has ventured into the room that the darkness had just vacated in its perusal of ADE. He looked around at the room, unimpressed with its scant furnishings. He was thinking that there must have been something there that caused the darkness to return to the room, something that the darkness was warding, keeping it away from all visitors. But where was it?
The darkness, facing fourteen members of the expanded group, seemed to be deciding upon whom it should attack next. Spinning in delight, the shadows settled down over all fourteen members, and began to squeeze.
Sandro saw what was happening to his fourteen friends in the hall outside the room. He darted back into the room immediately, looking for something, anything, with which to destroy the squeezing force. Walking across the room, looking for anything that may help, Sandro tripped over a loose floorboard, falling to the ground with a crash. Because Sandro was a Hucast, the weight of the fall was enough to bust open a few of the floorboards beneath him. Looking down at the mess he had made with the floor, Sandro noticed something that had been concealed under the loose floorboard that he had just tripped over. "What's that?" he asked himself, while reaching for the hidden object.
In the hall, the fourteen members of the divided group fought the darkness that was slowly squeezing the life out of them.
"I'm sorry," Blitz announced, "this is all my fault. I was taken over by the spirits last time we were in here."
Kwannon looked through the darkness at Blitz, "What do you mean? I was under the impression that the darkness could only affect us in here."
"Apparently not, it was causing me problems all the way into the city." Blitz continued fighting off the black shadows.
"What the heck!" Lightning shouted, fighting alongside Alaina.
Alaina was crying again. "Poor blitz!"
"I hate to say it guys, I think I may have let the darkness spread to the rest of the city." Blitz turned toward them again, as if to get a last look at them all.
Outside the factory, fifteen mercenaries stood waiting for the others to come back. All of them were bored, thinking that this was just a waste of time. At least they had earned enough money to get dinner that week.
Moments later, the fifteen people that were part of the expanded group turned in shock, as thousands of ghostly forms started up the hill, making their way toward the factory. Standing between the factory and the approaching wall of ghosts, the fifteen mercenaries prepared for battle.
With a battle taking place in the hall, and a new battle happening outside the factory, Sandro was alone in a room, gazing at what he had just found hidden underneath the floor of the factory. It was a rare, yet what had been in the red box was a rare like none he had ever seen. It was a photon crystal, much like the prototypes that he had seen which hadn't been released to the public yet. But this photon crystal was different in that it was a pure black color. As he held the crystal in his hand, it was as if it absorbed all the light around it, leaving him in an even deeper half-light than he had been before uncovering it. Sandro had a feeling that in some way this crystal was the power behind the dark spirits in the factory.
And now he was holding that power in his own hands.
In the hall outside the room, Alaina cast a spell of funkiness. The spell had moved the four from the main group only inches away from their previous location, but amazingly, those few inches had been enough to bring them out of the darkness.
Blitz seemed very excited about something. "That's it!" He shouted.
"What's it?" Kwannon asked in interest.
"That's the opening theme to funky town!" Blitz replied. "Won't you take me down, to funky town?!"
Sandro motioned the four others into the room with him. As they entered, they were all in awe of the phantasm taking place in the palm of his hand.
"THAT'S IT!" Blitz yelled in a mixture of loathing and fear.
"What's it?" asked Kwannon again.
"That's the opening theme to.... wait a sec. That darkness in your hand there feels very familiar."
Alaina gazed intently into the dark crystal in Sandros palm. "So pretty," she whispered.
The darkness, done with it's killing of the other mercenaries in the hall, blocked the doorway to the small room that the five members of the company stood in. It began its approach to them slowly, knowing that it had the upper hand.
Sandro brought up his arm with the dark crystal in it, hoping to call upon some unknown power for protection. As soon as he did this, the darkness stopped its advance toward the group, and began backing away.
Lightning noticed this, and remarked upon it. "The dark crystal matches the color of the dark shadow out there."
Blitz was going over something in his mind. "I remember feeling like I had to keep you guys away from that crystal you have there. It could be the power behind the ghosts."
Kwannon had found something in a desk drawer against one of the walls. She was going over it, and a moment later let out a sharp breath of surprise. The others came over to her at once.
"This journal here is documentation of the previous owner of the factory buying that crystal you have off the black market. He didn't know what it was that he had bought before he had paid for it, only that it was something that was promised to change his life forever."
With the dark crystal absorbing light in his palm, Sandro commented, "That's for sure."
Kwannon went on with the reading; "He realized that it was the crystal causing the problems after the ghosts started killing the factory workers, but he was unable to do anything about it. The crystal was said to have come from the government, and if it were found that he owned it, he would have been in big trouble. His writing here claims that he was rarely able to control himself unless he was near the crystal. It seems that the crystal was not only the source of the darkness, but also it's weakness."
Kwannon turned immediately to the crystal in wonder. "This is the source of power for the spirits. That must by why Blitz came to his senses before he was killed, we were near the crystal."
They all nodded their head in agreement, beginning to understand what was going on.
"The magic I could work with that," Alaina said in wonder.
Lightning placed a hand on her shoulder in order to comfort her, "Alaina, you worked your magic just fine out there. If you hadn't, we would all be dead by now. Well, except for Sandro, of course."
"Thanks!" Alaina jumped up and embraced Lightning, kissing him hard on the mouth.
Sandro was looking at the crystal, now understanding what it was he had in his hand. "So.... This is the strength behind the spirits. We can take care of that." With that, Sandro dropped the crystal on the floor, which caused the dark shadows to appear at the door again, poised to strike down the intruders that had broken into the factor. The darkness stopped when Sandro raised his robotic foot above the crystal, bringing his full weight down upon it. Instantly the crystal was destroyed, and as it was, the dark shadows of the spirits let out a deafening scream of pain and anguish. After years of being imprisoned within the crystal, the dark spirits were freed, rising out of the factory, and into the heavens above.
Making their way past the strewn about lifeless bodies within the hall, the group of five went to the front entrance to find the doors were still broken, as well as the bodies of the fifteen mercenaries they had left outside, but that wasn't the biggest change.
The half-light was gone from West Mac, replaced, instead, by the shining, life giving light from the sun as it beamed its way into the city, chasing away the shadows that had claimed the place since the city’s creation three years earlier.
"The dark crystal must have been behind the darkness that had permeated this half of the city," Blitz observed, "we just started a whole new life for these people."
Alaina walked forward from the other four in the group, looking out at the beauty of the newly revealed West Mac, which now matched the brightness of East Mac easily. "It's a whole new world for them," she agreed, "They can start where they were supposed to now." She turned back to the other four with a big smile on her face, and a tear on her cheek.
Lowering her arm with the NarmanB cane, everyone hears a muffled, "I want to hack PSO SO BAD!"
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: trypticon on 2003-12-25 12:16 ]</font>
As the four people reach the principals' desk, he turns to greet them. "Greetings, you people, I am the principal. Perhaps you've heard of me." The words were not so much a suggestion of knowledge, but more a statement of fact. Anybody who had been aboard the Pioneer 2 during its long mission to this cursed planet would have known of him. It was the principal that had come to the aid of the people so often, he that had finally killed Elley Person, and had influenced the lovely Nol to star in adult cinema. Moreover, it had been he that had defeated the vicious Nugz, along with the rest of his clan. Many people had tried to do these things before, but none had been able to do so from the comfort of their own desk, which the Principal was almost unable to move from. Rumors hinted at him being seen behind another desk once or twice, in preparation for some quests that paid mercenaries used to take part in. But those were just rumors. For all anyone knew these days, the man was permanently affixed to the rear side of this semicircular desk, the drawers of which could be described as his own pockets.
"I'm glad you have all decided to come here today to see me. There is a great matter of importance for you to have done so." As he spoke, his flat, dead, pixilated eyes passed over each of the visitors in turn. "You have all come here from different villages off of Ragol's surface, so you may or may not know about what I am going to tell you. The areas where pioneer 1 set up operations on Ragol's surface have all been declared haunted. You all come from villages surrounding those areas, and you have been selected to act as an official ghost buster for your village."
The four visitors, knowing of the ghosts from the inhabitants of Pioneer 1, all shake in fear. Their respective villages all bordered on areas where Dr Osto's parasitic cell had been released. The central dome was no more, having been flattened in an earthquake three years prior to this meeting. Gal De Val Island was a great beachfront with condos going up seemingly every day. The large squids that used to terrorize the hunters following Pioneer 2's exploration of the area had inspired many fishing tourneys, as well as a great fishing company that supplied seafood to all of the surrounding villages.
But that didn't dispel the fact that ghosts were prevalent in the areas. The villages were sometimes ransacked by reported zombies, out for people's brains so that they may live longer, and the place where the Central Dome had been located was visited not only by ghostly past residents, but also large dragon spirits that were said to eat people's souls. In each of the four visitor's minds, the same question repeated itself; what about the broken vending machine in lobby 13?
The principal, remarkably, moved a few inches to his left, as if to get comfortable or something, "Look, you people, I'm not gong to lie to you. The vending machine problem is a big one, but lobby 13 needs to be ignored for now, it's been empty for the past two and a half years. After the vending machine broke, nobody wanted to set foot in that place again. But the problem with the lingering spirits of Pioneer 1 must be addressed quickly. All right, so it's been going on for four years now, so maybe not that quickly. But the point is, you are all here now, ready to serve, dominated by me, Principal Tyrell, ruler of the UNIVERSE!" The principal coughs for a moment, and looks up at the four again, "Sorry."
At that moment, Nol pops in and almost pops out, literally. The four guests know she's hot, but have never seen her up close before. Their mouths begin to salivate.
Nol sees the effect her appearance has on the four, and decides to use it to her advantage. "Hello, gentlemen, and lady. I see you know who I am, but I'm not aware of whom you all are. Why don't you tell me your names, each of you?"
In the cold dim light of the Principal's chamber, the four mercenaries stand in awe of the lovely Nol. Having gained an advantage over the mercenaries, the Principal continues where Nol sort of left off.
"You people," boomed the Principal, "I have asked you to accept this job to protect your respective cities. If you do so, you will each get life-size posters of Nol in her reporters costume to put up in your homes. I am sure that this will be a collectors item for years to come, unless one of you foolishly dupes it and spreads it to the city folk."
Nol gives a quick giggle, and proceeds to stride forward to place a gentle kiss upon each of the four people's lips. Each of them is standing at attention, except for the Hunewearl, who is just breathing heavily. But the question remains for each of them what exactly is expected of them.
The Principal, giving a cocky smile to Irene, who has entered the room and taken up her normal position behind her own desk, begins to answer that very question. "Each of you comes from different cities. One of you is from the city of Mac, one of you from the city Chili, another of you is from the city of Cheese, and the last of you is from the city Burger. Since these cities are all fairly close to one another, you will likely pair up on occasion to help solve greater matters of concern that are spread throughout the cities as we know them. So you may end up getting together in the team that may be known as Mac and Cheese, or perhaps Chilli Mac, or Cheese Burger, Chili Burger, or even Chilli Cheese! But whatever you do stay away from Burger Mac!"
It's about this time that each of the four that are gathered before the Principal wonder whom the genius was who named these cities.
"Gentleman, and lady," Nol looks approvingly at the three men, and casts a withering glance in the direction of the only female among the four, "the Principal and Irene will both be your contacts during this job, as it is expected to last several years. I will be there to pep you guys up, but from the look of things, that may not be needed." Again, Nol glares in the direction of the only female that the Principal invited to this meeting.
"LOLOLOLOLOL!" laughs the Principal, "Don't you worry a bit about it, Nol, baby! You are still a pretty young thing in the history of Pioneer 2."
Nol seems a bit confused over what the Principal just said. "What the heck was that?"
"What was what?" The Principal asks, seeming perplexed by Nol's question.
"That LOLOLOLOL thing you just let out, what the heck was that?" Nol is acting as if this is a matter that must be cleared up immediately, perhaps fearing for the sanity of the man that led the way during the entire Pioneer 2 expedition.
"LMAO," barks the Principal, "I'm just laughing, sweet thing."
Nol still doesn't quite understand it, and remarks upon it to get her point across, "That isn't any laugh that I've ever heard. How can you even expect people to know what that is? Laughs usually begin with an H, or an M, such ass; Ha Ha, and Mwahaha. There is no L, and the only time an O is ever involved is with a Ho HO HO, but you can't even type that on PSO. Now go get yourself a dictionary, so you can learn proper English!"
The Principal suddenly feels very foolish, but is suddenly wondering if the new populace of Ragol, or the Ragolese, as they have named themselves, even speaks English. He is thinking it would be pronounced Ragrish, or something to that effect. Rather than present a retort that would cause the lovely Nol to look for the nearest Rabsters Dictionary, he drops the matter, and follows her stern advice by sullenly stepping out from his own office in search of the nearest library.
Now alone with the Lovely Nol, and the hideous Irene, the hunters are asked in turn to present their names.
The hunter from the city of Mac is named Blitz. The hunter from the city of Chili is named Lightning. The hunter from the city of Cheese is named Sandro. The last hunter, a female, is named Kwannon, she coming from the city of Burger.
Nol continues, because Irene doesn't say anything to anyone accept the normal 'find rico', junk, "Alright you hunters, now that I know all of you, I want you to go back to your respective cities and prepare for the investigation that is to follow. Since the cities are all located close to one another, feel free to pair up and help each other on different matters. Also, be advised that you are being provided a budget great enough that you are able to hire and recruit your own mercenaries to help you in your investigation. And one more thing," Nol steps closer to them, spins in a circular motion for no reason, lifts her arms the sky, then assumes a dragon stance, and places her hands between her legs, all the while impressing the male hunters, "as you embark on this great adventure, keep your mind open to new things. You have learned today that I am the true power over the principal, as he becomes a simple puppet before my radiating beauty! You will also learn other things as you make your way through your cities alone, or as a group. The path is likely clear enough if you follow it to it's end. I wish you good luck in your endeavors."
Exiting the government complex that housed the Principal, the hunters were awash with feelings of confusion over the mission they had been given. To each of them, the knowledge of what the principal had entrusted them with was disturbing. They all knew very well what type of activities they were expected to investigate. The activities were all ones that had been investigated unsuccessfully before. The previous investigations had all failed for the same reasons, everyone who had been directly involved had perished unexpectedly, and in painful ways.
Because of the danger inherent in the mission, the four hunters decide to form into a single team, and handle each city as a different case. Sandro suggests that the hunters go to the city of Chili first, and see if they can hire any help from the local hunters guild. This is agreed upon, and three days later, the hunters arrive in Chili.
"This place is a dump," Kwannon observes while looking out at the darkened cityscape, "I have a bad feeling about this."
Lightning steps forward and rests his hand on Kwannon's shoulder, "Don't worry, Kwannon. If anything happens, at least we'll be going down together."
Lightning gets three looks of disgust thrown at him from Kwannon, Sandro, and Blitz as they pass him on their way into the city.
"Hey! I'm just trying to lighten the mood here!" He yells, as he rushes to catch up to the others.
The air is filled with soot, likely because of the large mining operation that Chili is famous for, the haze so thick it seemingly could be cut with a knife. Or you could also just heat the haze up in a pot, constantly stirring, and turn it into the stag chili that the famed cutleries were named after.
About a mile into the city, the four reach the business district. It appeared more as a slum than a business district, and the only reason it was considered one is because of the several shady deals that went on there. The sides of the dilapidated buildings were lined with the homeless, their hungry eyes focused upon the graceful form of Kwannon as the four hunters make their way to the local hunters guild in search of new members for their investigation.
The funds the principal had given them were great, much greater an amount than any of them had ever had at their disposal at any other time. But each of them was wondering what type of help they could trust from a city such as this.
Upon reaching the hunters guild, the four decided that there would be a few conditions that were to be expected from any that they decided to hire. It was decided that they would need help from some different class types in order to succeed at the mission they had been given. Forces were needed, mercenaries with great mental capacity. As well, rangers would be favored in order to clear out rooms safely from a distance. While it was true that some forces could do the same as a ranger with a few chosen techniques, the forces were needed more as a support unit for the four.
At the registration desk, Kwannon asked to see a few mercenaries for hire. The number of mercenaries for hire could be counted on a single had, but the group managed to pick up two forces and a ranger. The force's names were Madison and NarmanB, and the rangers' name was Adam.
"So," Blitz began, "what are these haunted spots I've been hearing about in this city?"
This question got an immediate response from the hunter’s guild, almost as if the receptionist had been expecting the four all along.
The group of seven was led to a large cavern located on the outskirts of the city. The cavern was dripping with ooze, and as the seven peered into the dark interior, they could make out the distant screams of beasts best left to the imagination.
"Let's get this over with." Kwannon muttered, as she started into the cave.
The others followed her in, each of them trying to hold their breath as the fetid stench of the cavern seeped into their nostrils. Dark shapes paraded before the seven, simply hints at what may lie ahead of them, never coming close, but never staying quite out of their limited range of sight. After an hour of marching into pitch darkness, the seven emerged into a large circular cavern that was lighted mysteriously by crystals upon the walls and ceiling. The stalagmites and stalactites that had decorated the tunnel gave way to flat surfaces, with a large pit in the center of the room. Other than that, there was nothing, it was a dead end.
"Say buddy! We must have missed a tunnel or something! LOL! This is a ded end! LMAO!" Shouted NarmanB. The velocity of his voice causing the walls to shake, and the seven to lean left and right in the attempt of making it look good.
Blitz tosses NarmanB a hard look, "Silence, you fool! This is what we've been looking for."
As Blitz turns his attention back to the room, and NarmanB shuts up, the large pit in the center of the room explodes with flames. With the start of the flames, a loud wailing sound suddenly filled the air, as if hundreds of souls were suddenly screaming out for release. The seven were terrified, and began running aimlessly around the room. Madison was busy casting shifta and deband upon everyone before coming to a halt at the exit of the tunnel that led them to the current room. She turned her head quickly, noticing a scraping and scratching sound echoing through the tunnel heading for the seven. They were trapped in this circular room.
"There's something else coming!" Madison shouted to everyone. But the warning fell on deaf ears, as her it was lost among the screams of the fire pit, and the scratching of whatever approached through the tunnel.
The fires in the center of the room parted for a brief moment, and the apparition of a huge dragon filled the gap.
"ROFL!" Screamed NarmanB as the ghostly dragon appeared in the flames. The dragon turned its ghostly gaze upon NarmanB, and let out a booming cough in response to whatever it was NarmanB just screamed.
Rounding the rotunda, Adam appears out of the haze, with his Guld Milla blasting, hitting NarmanB square in the face. As NarmanB screamed in mixed terror and pain, he was vaporized by the combined power of the photon blasts and the shifta cast by Madison, which strengthened the user. The death of NarmanB causes the dragon to laugh in glee.
Still positioned at the exit of the tunnel leading into the circular cave, Madison screamed in fear as another dragon emerged and made itself known to the people. The newly emerged dragon also laughs in glee at the site of NarmanB's death.
The dragon spirit, bathed in flames, amazingly speaks! "You have done well by offering a sacrifice to the dragon god. Due to your offering, we are appeased." As the dragon finishes, the flames dissipate, and the ghost disappeared. The other dragon gave the six people a snort, grabbed the remains of NarmanB, and headed back into the tunnel.
Through the light of the room, Sandro suddenly saw something in the dark pit that the ghost dragon had emerged from. Bringing everyone's attention to the shiny spot, he asked, "What is that?"
In the half light of the round cavern Sandro, Blitz, Lightning, Kwannon, Madison, and Adam all stared into the rotunda at the bright shiny spot that seemed to have been left over as a gift from the ghostly dragon.
"What is it man?" Sandro asked as he looked back up to the rest of the group members.
Kwannon shook her head in wonder, or perhaps bemusement. "I don't know, but I'm voting for you to go down and get it, Sandro."
With that suggestion, Lightning stepped forward to make an offer, "Listen, everyone. This is my home city. If anyone is going to risk their life going down there, it had better be me..." he trailed off for a moment before picking up again, "... Well, seeing as how NarmanB is dead, at least."
The others agreed with Lightning, and he suddenly found himself stuck in a group of people without compassion for their fellow party member. But since he had nobody to blame but himself, he began the short decent into the pit to find out what the shiny spot was.
Reaching the rotunda floor, Lightning was greeted by the sight of scattered bones, and the smell of rotting flesh. Choosing his steps carefully, he made his way to the center of the pit to get to the shiny spot, which was now nothing but a dull red box. Slipping and sliding over the floor, his footsteps made a crunching sound as he passed through the pit. Lightning realized that much of the floors darkness was attributed to the large cockroaches that were swarming over the ground. Disgusted beyond belief, Lightning presses on.
Grabbing the red box, he rushed back to make the climb up to his waiting party members.
"So what was it?" Blitz asked as Lightning reached the rim of the depression.
Lightning holds the red box up for inspection
Everyone gasped in unison, "A rare!"
Kwannon swiped the rare out of Lightning's hands and opened the box. "You've got to be kidding me!" She screamed and tossed the red box to the floor of the cavern, spilling the contents of the box to reveal NarmanB''s head rolling out of it.
Madison meanwhile was thinking of something, "You know what? I think I know someone who can do something with that Narmanb head. We should go meet her right now."
So the group of six left the city of Chili, and began their march to the city of Mac. Blitz was excited, since Mac was his home city. He couldn't wait to get back there and hire some of his friends for this effort. The days during the march were hot ones, which only helped the NarmanB head decompose further in the box that it was carried in. The resulting stench was particularly nasty, and was causing everyone's tempers to grow exceedingly short. Before all was lost though, the group entered the city of Mac, and went immediately to a location that Madison seemed to know very well. The person they were looking for was a young force by the name of Alaina.
The location that Madison led the people to was a small bench positioned in front of a park. Madison cast her eyes around for a moment in search of her old friend Alaina, stopping on a seemingly empty spot. "There she is." Madison announced.
The other group members glanced in humor at the empty spot that Madison was pointing out.
"Yeah, that's really good Madison," Adam commented, "Is there anything else we need to do here before we leave?"
Madison was a bit insulted by the lack of trust she suddenly felt, "I find your lack of faith disturbing. Just give her a moment to finish her candy, and I'm sure Alaina will be right with us."
Minutes spanned into hours as Alaina remained away from her keyboard. Finally, as the day was drifting toward dusk, the shadows coalesced in front of the group, and Alaina's form took on substance.
"Haha!" Alaina began, "Sorry i was eating candy."
Adam laughed as well, which must have been a challenge for him, seeing as how he was an android. Then again, the classic example of an android is a robot with the brain of a human host, so perhaps it wasn't much of a challenge after all. "So nice! What type of candy was it?"
Alaina seemed to be lost in thought for a second as she thought about her answer. "There was chocolate, and Kit Kat. Oh yeah! I also had a Snickers!"
Everyone thought that sounded delicious. At least they would have, had it not been for the rotting NarmanB head in the box that they were carrying, it's nastiness permeating the air in thick wafts of stench.
"Alaina," Madison began, "We found a rare head here. Will you be able to make this into a weapon of some sort for us?" Madison opened the box with the NarmanB head in it, which immediately caused half of the group to puke.
Alaina seemed shocked for a moment as she gazed down at the lifeless head in the box. A tear formed at the corner of her eye, and she quickly wiped it away in frustration.
"What's wrong, Alaina?" Madison asked.
Alaina looked up at the six in the group before answering, she seemed to be very upset. "Do you know who this head belongs to?" She demanded. "This head belongs to one that used to love me! He always denied it, but I know he did. It was plainly obvious to everyone. He even gave me this thing wrapped in a present before." Alaina pulled out an unteked S rank called the ILOVEYOU mechgun. "I could never use it, but it was a clear indication of his feelings to me. He wouldn't even let me open it until after he left me for the last time."
Everybody else in the group was laughing openly by then, and it wasn't long before Alaina started laughing about it too. All hard feelings aside, Alaina took the head and began to fashion it into a weapon called the NarmanB Cane. When it was time to pay Alaina for her services to the group, she declined, volunteering instead to come along with the group as an active member. Before leaving the city, the group mass duped the NarmanB Cane, and took two of the canes along on the trip.
The wielders of the canes were Madison and Alaina, as they were the only two forces in the group. When the canes were used, they would usually spit out one of NarmanB's famous quotes, such as: BRB, or Dog peed on the floor, or I want to hack PSO so badly. Even though the quotes from NarmanB were annoying to the entire group, it was still better to have the weapons along on the trip, as it seemed to enhance the fighting of the two force characters. The special on the NarmanB Cane, though not incredibly accurate, would cause the entire group to be shunned by the enemies.
After a few days of fighting across the open range of Ragol, Kwannon took some time to ask what the stats were on the NarmanB Cane. Alaina took the time to answer this question as best she could. "It seems that the stats for this are -100% Native, -100% Altered Beast, -100% Machine, -100% Dark, and -100% Hit."
"Hmm." Kwannon replied with indifference.
"Is that good?" Asked Alaina, as she continued to miss over and over.
The open range fighting that the group was taking part in was done so that they may gain more skill in their chosen weaponry and armors. And after several days of work and exertion, the group felt that they were well off enough to venture back into the city of Mac to begin the investigation there.
What would our heroes find in the city of Mac? Where should they begin their search? The city of Mac was divided on two sides of a great river. The West side of Mac was a dark place, filled with hoodlums and other forms of scum. The East side of Mac was a place of bright lights and healthy living.
After long moments of deliberation, the group decided to begin their investigation in the West side of Mac. This half of the city was dark and mysterious, and even in the brightness of the midday sun, the west side still seemed to be shrouded in nothing but shadow.
The group was making their way into the city proper, traveling past dusty trails, and dirt roads, all the while looking for information on any problems the people may have known about. The search during the first day turned up empty handed, and the group retired to a large makeshift tent that Sandro and Kwannon had set up in the center of the People's Park.
As the rest of the group settled down to sleep for the night, Kwannon, Sandro and Adam sat up talking to each other.
"This search has been pretty bad so far," Kwannon began, "Just a bit more than a week into it, and we have already lost one of our hired help."
Sandro nodded in agreement, "Too right, Kwannon, love. We didn't even gain any substantial information from the city of Chili. It seems more like we just left the investigation altogether there."
"I happen to agree, Sandro. We are going to have to go back there eventually." Kwannon turned her head to Adam, who was sitting beside her. "Tell us a bit about yourself, Adam. We really haven't had a chance to talk at all yet."
Sandro agreed to this proposition, and crossed his robo legs in front of him.
"My name is Adam," Adam started, "perhaps you've heard of me. I am perhaps the only legit RAcast to ever hit level 200. Madison and I both come from the city of Chili, a place thick with great gravy trains, and large peppers that sing the stag chili song."
"I've seen those singing peppers before!" Sandro exclaimed. "At one time I killed a dozen of them before I was told that they were part of a festival that was going on. Man, did I feel stupid!"
Adam glanced over to Sandro in bemusement before continuing, "Yes, the singing peppers seem to throw a lot of people off guard."
Kwannon was laughing softly now, "He he he he! That must be so funny! How long have you been available for hire?"
Adam gathered his thoughts for a moment before answering, "I have been for hire for just about fourteen months now. Before that time, I was searching for a few people that I used to know. These people meant a lot to me, and I wanted to see if they were still around."
"Who were they?" Sandro asked. "Perhaps one of us knows them."
"Maybe. Their names were Jessica, Crystal, Vona, and Heather. Have you heard of any of them?"
Kwannon seemed to jump at this information, "Those names sound familiar. Why are you searching for them?"
Adam seemed to get uncomfortable for a moment. "I just want to see them again, it isn't very important."
The three drifted off to sleep after that, joining the others in the sweet Ragolian dreams of rappy meals, and barbeque booma ribs.
The next day, the seven members rose to start their search once again. The gloom of West Mac greeted each of them, as the tent was taken down, and they began further questioning. The hours passed by slowly with nothing suspicious arising to catch their attention. Shortly before the noon hour arrived though, they did stumble upon something interesting.
The information that the group received led them to an empty factory near the river. The factory had been placed there so that the manufactured items could quickly, easily, and above all, inexpensively be led down to the shipping docks, and sent over the river. It was really not a bad idea, and had provided a great amount of wealth to the factory owners before the haunting began.
After a quick overview of the report, it would seem that the haunting could simply have been some malfunctions of the machinery. The reports included technical specs that detailed several deaths being caused by the machinery acting up on its own. There were other reports of disembodies shadows wandering through the halls, and walking through doors, but those stories had not been investigated, so were inconclusive.
The seven walked into the factory and were greeted by piles of dust rising under their feet as they made their way down the factory isles. The machinery was covered with cobwebs, which gave the place the look of a spooky museum. Their footfalls were hollow sounding as they touched the floor, and it didn't help calm the nerves, as silence remained their only welcoming host.
One walk through the factory turned up nothing, and led to another complete walk through. After the second walk, with nothing turning up, the seven decided to divide themselves and take up their search on different sides of the building. Perhaps they would be able to surround whatever was in the place, and flush it out.
Kwannon and Madison took the left side of the building, starting their search in a slow manner, so as not to miss anything that may happen around them.
Madison was upset with her friend Adam, and was quick to let Kwannon know about it. "I hate him, he's such a freak. He would be nothing without me!"
"I don't know," Kwannon replied, "he seems OK to me."
Madison rolled her eyes at Kwannon, "Don't let him fool you. He is the biggest piece of $!@* on the planet Ragol. I hate him."
"Weren't you two supposed to be together or something?" Kwannon asked.
"HA!" barked Madison, "I wish he'd just leave now."
They continued their search down the empty isles, the machinery glinting dull gray in the half-light. As they neared the back wall of the factory, the dust swirled in front of them as if someone was running from their approach. Madison and Kwannon rushed to the wall and looked around the side of the nearest conveyor belt. What they saw turned their blood to ice. ________________________________________________
Blitz was searching alone through the middle isles of the factory. His search had turned up nothing but dust and more dust. He was about ready to give up when the machinery surrounding him suddenly began operating again.
He glanced around quickly in confusion, but wasn't quick enough to catch the sight of the large shadow that detached itself from the far end of the machinery, slipping away to the right. ________________________________________________
Lightning and Alaina had decided to stay behind and watch the front doors to make sure nobody tried to enter during the investigation that was going on inside. They were talking to each other in a jovial manner, having a good time in their paired company. Both of them jumped when they heard the machinery start inside the factory, and they were running through the entrance to the building when the doors suddenly slammed shut behind them, locking them in with the growing shadows.
Alaina turned to Lightning with a flushed look on her face as Blitz ran up to meet them. They all knew that something had gone horribly wrong. ________________________________________________
Sandro and Adam were investigating the right side of the factory. This area comprised of many maze like walls and doors that led to empty rooms, much like a warren. The machinery around them seemed to be of a crushing or melting variety, the engines unattended, and dry.
The two of them rounded one of the corners in the maze of walls and doors, only to find themselves confronted by darkness.
Sandro turned around quickly, "I don't think this is the right way, let's try to go back and find how we even got into this mess."
Turning around to start back, the two of them heard a low moan, and watched as the darkness that had just faced them spread itself out, covered them, and surrounded the two. Slowly, it began to squeeze.
Sandro was quick to spot the danger, "This doesn't look good!"
The two of them both drew their weapons and began striking out at the darkness surrounding them. Over and over, the two fought and repelled the darkness around them. The darkness, unharmed, continued it's slow advance and squeezing.
A deep laugh came from the shadows, and as it did so, the darkness withdrew from the two androids. Just before the darkness withdrew completely, a small ringing sound came from Adam, and his pet Sato started spinning in mad delight on his shoulder.
Although the two didn't know it, the dark shadow that had surrounded them had activated the machinery around them while they two had been trapped fighting.
The shadow had followed through with it's deviousness, and had gained another victim. Adam, not realizing that his sato had reached full potential, set loose it's power. Doing the normal dance that went with it, he spread his arms out to his side as the sato decided to so some sort of ineffective photon blast. When spreading his arms, they were caught in the surrounding machinery, pulling one of the arms off completely, while the grinder that had a hold on his other arm sucked up the whole of his body.
Screaming in perceived pain, as his body was grinded to dust, Adam was able to quickly look out at Sandro, and the other five that had reached him to bear witness to his last moments.
The six watched in stunned silence, all of them but one upset about it. On Madison's face, a smile spread from ear to ear.
After Adam was nothing but dust, a deep laugh shook the entire building. The shadows drew close again, covering the light completely, leaving the remaining six in pitch darkness.
The laughing that shook the building took on a demanding voice -MORE, MORE, I WANT TO SEE MORE-
The interior of the factory took on a new form of cold as the dark spirit blanketed over the remaining six members of the little company. Each of them was in shock because of the death that had just taken place before their eyes, frozen with fear while the darkness sapped away their strength.
"We need to get out of here, fast!" Sandro warned them with a deep breath. "We need to find our way to the front door of this place again.'
Alaina, sobbing at the back of the group cried, "We can't, the spirits closed the door and locked us in..." Alaina trailed off as the tears continued to flow.
Kwannon stepped forward to take charge of the situation, "We must at least try to break through. If it doesn't work, we will not be facing anything worse than we are by simply standing here."
The group of six slowly made their way through the black of the factory. The assembly lines, mashers, and engines continued their newly activated labor on all sides, as the group strove to avoid falling into the same trap that Adam had just moments before. Over the sounds of the revving engines, shouts and cries from the dark spirits that inhabited the factory could be heard, as if attesting to the living six that they were indeed still there, being forced to work at the machines for all eternity.
In the distance, a dim line of light could be seen, highlighting the frame of the huge locked doors.
"That's it!" Blitz yelled, as he ran forward to start breaking the doors down. "Hey, Sandro, come help me, you Hucasts are the strongest things on Ragol these days."
Sandro joined Blitz in the busting process, and seconds later Lightning joined the effort as well. Kwannon and Alaina faced out into the darkness, watching and waiting for something more to happen. After a minute or two, Madison joined the two girls at the door, and began looking into the darkness as well.
Kwannon glanced at Madison briefly, bothered by the delay in her reaching the doors, and wondering if there had been a reason for it. Everything seemed fine though, and she turned her attention back at the surrounding darkness that was slowly squeezing the air out of her lungs.
At Kwannon's side, Alaina was having thoughts of misgiving. She was upset by the sudden loss of a group member, and feared that the same fate was soon to be shared by them all. As she stood in the cold, fearful of what lay ahead, she realized that there were ghostly fingers brushing the sides of her face. The fingers belonged to the shadows, she concluded. She suddenly had the thought that the darkness had chosen her as the next victim. Beginning to sob once again at her newly realized fate, she waited for the inevitable.
Standing a bit away from the other five, Madison looked at all that was happening with a smile on her face. She had known of the darkness immediately, and had embraced it's touch openly. The cold that had settled within her upon first entering the factory had been a welcome respite to the warm feelings of life. Finally, she was able to let go of the pain forever, losing sight of herself and any worries she had ever possessed. So cold, she thought, so cold. Turning her head away from the five that had entered the factory with her, she silently called out to the dark spirits that inhabited the place, telling them where they would find the intruders. The rest of the company didn't realize as she did, that though the dark spirits inhabited the factory, they were unable to see anything past their own shadow. The sight that they relied upon was always that of a human host. In this case, that host was Madison.
Laboring to break open the locked doors, Blitz, Lightning and Sandro felt the growing cold at their backs. Each of them was fearful of what was going to happen, each sensing that they had stepped into a trap that would be impossible to escape.
Five of the members of the company were bunched close together, with only Madison standing away from the group, her back to them, not caring whether they would get the door open or not, as the darkness around them began to fade to light once again. A momentary bright flash replaced the black, and as the light faded back to the familiar half-light of West Mac, the spirits of the thousands of factory workers materialized in front of the little company.
Lightning saw the blank faces that now surrounded he and his fellow hunters. "Oh my... We didn't stand a chance.."
As he trailed off, the spirits, which had materialized standing at their workstations around the machinery, laboring away for the rest of their eternal damnation, all stopped as one. A chill greater than any the group members had ever experienced settled into their respective bones as every ghostly worker turned their empty eye sockets from the machinery to those that had broken into their factory.
Walking backwards toward the door again, her eyes passing over the dead faces that surrounded her, Kwannon reached a hand back to pat the arm of Sandro, as if proving to herself that she wasn't alone in all of this, "How... how is opening that door coming along, Sandro?"
Sandro was almost speechless, seeing the same sight that the other five were. "I... uh. I'm working on it... I guess." He turned back to the doors, working on the locks again, trying to push aside the thought of the thousands of dead workers that were resting their eternal gaze upon him at that moment.
Seconds ticked by without any movement from the spirits. It was as if the ghosts of the factory were weighing the danger of these new visitors, or perhaps simply wondering why these six people were not at their stations at the assembly lines and engines. Long moments passed without change, until a sharp snap sounded as Sandro, Blitz, and Lightning finally broke open the door. The sound caused a gigantic shift of the feel within the factory. The air around the six took on the feeling of a clinging force, slowing the group down as they pushed the broken doors off of their hinges so that they may escape into the semi-lit city once again. The faces of the dead workers around them changed from a shared look of disinterest to a visage of horror, which was enhanced by their separate shrieks of rage when they realized that the doors to their home had been shattered.
No longer standing, the ghosts took flight after the small group trying to escape from the grave that was waiting for them.
"Open... the... door...!" Alaina screamed slowly, as the clinging of the air around her continued to pull her back into the factory, and throng of spirits rushing toward her.
Lightning, slowly turning his head, because the clinging air was affecting them all in the same way replied, "I... AM....!!"
Through it all, Madison had not moved once. Acting as an island between her group members, and the oncoming wall of ghosts, she stood perfectly calm. Lost not only to those that had hired her, but also to herself; the feelings of guilt and confusion swarmed within her head and made her blind to all that was happening without.
The other five were still working on pushing open the broken doors, slowed by their fear, and by the very air surrounding them. Blitz turned around one final time, realizing that Madison had not yet joined them, "Madison... this... isn't... accomplishing... anything... You... must... come... with... us...! Ow! I... bit... my... tongue...!"
But Blitz's warning came too late. Madison, suddenly regaining her senses, turned back to the group with a shocked look on her face just as the wall of ghosts reached her. Visibly inhabiting her body, the spirits ripped her from the inside out. Shrieking in pain one last time, Madison fell to floor in pieces.
Blitz slowly turned back to the other four in slow horror. In so doing, he tripped over Alaina's heel, and tumbled in slow motion into the blockade, knocking it open finally, filling the dim interior of the factory with half-light.
The new light pouring into the factory broke the bonds that had slowed down the company members, and they ran out into the city again, Blitz lifting himself quickly off of the ground, before taking off after them.
He was around just long enough to hear the massive scream of pain and rage that come from the wall of spirits as the half-light of West Mac hit them.
Meeting again at a nearby tavern, the remaining five members of the group sat in shocked silence as the bar tender served them up some sarsaparilla.
"Two people, killed in the same factory," Blitz theorized, more to himself than to any other, "and we didn't stand a chance."
Alaina, staring straight ahead of her, was thinking of happy memories. She had to agree with Blitz though, "We didn't even have a clue as to what we were up against in there."
Kwannon looked up from her drink at that suggestion. "You are right, Alaina. We didn't take the time to understand what we were getting into before we jumped right in. We are indeed fools."
Lightning and Sandro nodded in agreement with them all. They were shocked at what had happened to kill the two whom had died in there. They had also been made painfully aware of their own limitations by the happenings of that investigation. The slow realization that nothing had been accomplished, or even discovered, hit the both of them at the same time, and it was then that Lightning began to act.
Standing up to get the other's attention, Lightning slammed down his drink upon the bar counter, as if to demand the respect he deserved. He was aware that what was needed was going to be an unpopular decision, but the outlooks of the others didn't mean it was any less necessary.
"We are going back." He announced to the group.
The reaction of the group was a difficult one for him to surmise at first, as he was only greeted with shocked looks, and wide eyes. He had better convince them of why they had to do so before they put up any argument against the matter.
Raising his hand to hold off any complaints or outbursts, he continued, "We have to. I know that none of us wants to, but we must do so. There is simply no other way in which to complete our mission. We have an understanding of what to expect now, both with the dragon cavern, and with the factory of ghosts. That understanding will at least allow us to prepare for what will happen this time."
Kwannon couldn't help but break in before Lightning was able to complete his explanation, "I don't know about you, Lightning, but I saw what was going on back there. They did something to Madison while we were in there. They took over her mind or something, and it looked like she didn't get it back until right before they ripped her apart, as if they wanted to make sure she could feel the pain! What you are suggesting is simply lunacy! We have no chance against even one ghost, let alone the thousands we saw in there. What chance do you even think we could possibly have against a spiritual force that large?"
To Kwannon's surprise, Lightning replied with, "A better chance than you might think. Allow me to explain."
Kwannon was interested enough in what Lightning had to suggest that she settled down for s moment.
"We all saw what happened in there, and I think that it did so because we were getting close to something important. What's more, Blitz has informed us of the spirit's reaction to the light when the doors were finally thrown open, they couldn't take it. Since nobody in West Mac will tell us what happened in that factory to kill all those workers, we are going to have to take our chances with our actions inside that place. It seems to me that those people must have all died in a relatively short amount of time, almost as if it had been something within the factory that had finished them off. I want you all to explain to the group what it was you saw in your searches of the different sides of the factory. Leave no details out, as they might be a hint toward something larger."
The different group members each went over their separate journeys through the building, leaving out no details of what it was they had come across. The story of Sandro's investigation was the most informative. It was a quick decision that this was where the investigation had to start once again.
It was decided that they would all group together that time, and explore the side of the building that Sandro and Adam had during the first foray. They would tie themselves to each other by a rope to ensure that nobody would get lost in case the darkness overwhelmed them again. As well, they would take the doors off of the hinges first, and chop them into pieces, hoping that the added light would help keep the spirits at bay.
When the plan was all said and done, it seemed safe enough. They were standing side by side in front of the factory once again, tied together by a rope that was knotted at each of their waists.
"This is it," Kwannon observed, "Good luck everyone."
Just then, Blitz came up with a radical idea. "Hey! I've got an idea. Let's go hire a few more mercenaries from the hunter’s guild to help us in here. At least they would be more people for the spirits to pick on, if things don't go our way. How many people can we afford with the funds we have left over anyway?"
Kwannon thought back to the bank statement for a moment. Then realized that there was no need for her to do so "We have an unlimited amount of funds for the investigation process."
Blitz was happy about this. "Great!" he exclaimed, "Let's go into the city and visit one of my old haunts. I know a place where we can get some good help."
"Yay!" Shouted Alaina at this suggestion. "Now we won't die!"
"Oops, the dog peed on the floor." the NarmanB cane quipped as Alaina followed after the group.
"Nobody cares." Lightning replied.
The group moved into the downtown area of West Mac, a part of the city that seemed even darker than the rest of it, for some reason. Blitz decided to pull out a flashlight to light the path up a bit.
Ahead, a small one-story building came into view. It was here that Blitz lead the group. Since this was his home city, the group trusted him enough to know what he was going.
Taking respective seats around the lobby of the building, the group waited for Blitz to do his work at the front counter.
Blitz rang the bell at the front desk, waiting for service. He hoped against hope that his friends were still there, because he had always wanted to sacrifice their lives to a higher god. Now that he had the opportunity to do so, he wouldn't pass on it for the world. Something in the back of his mind whispered that it was not right to think things like that, but the madness of the factory had already taken over, and had helped to guide the spirits from the factory outside into the rest of the city. The downtown area, dark at all times of the day, suited them perfectly.
The receptionist for the hunter’s guild greeted him, and asked him if he needed anything.
"Oh yes, baby." answered Blitz, "Show me the hunters for hire that you have right now. Every single one of them, as I'm looking for a lot."
The receptionist pressed a button, which caused the wall behind her to swing open, the different mercenaries being displayed on the rotating floor. The receptionist raised one arm, showing them off in the manner of a professional displayer from a morning game show.
Blitz liked what he saw, and thought that he could kill them all. Glancing back to his fellow party members, he realized that it would be harder to kill all the mercenaries off with those four along. The madness in his brain started trying to work out a plan.
Two hours later, with no plan thought of, Blitz realized that the receptionist was impatiently asking if he is interested in hiring any of the mercenaries that were being displayed, as her arm was getting tired. The mercenaries for hire must have been getting tired as well, as they were all sitting on the rotating floor by then, some of them having gotten sick because of the continuous spinning.
"Oh yes, I would take all of them, BOOMSHAKALAKA!"
The doors to the back room opened, and twenty- six mercenaries jumped out, each of them ready to work.
Blitz paid the receptionist the $26,000 that was charged, and the thirty-one of them all left to take on the factory again.
"I have a bad feeling about this." nobody-fifteen stated as they all faced the factory.
Three of the thirty-one people looked at him in agreement, but the rest of them were confident that they would be able to take on the place successfully.
The attack upon the factory began with the breaking of the front doors. Though they had been broken down during the previous escape, they had somehow been rebuilt, and were seemingly as strong as they had been before they had been broken down originally. Long moments of kicking, pulling, shoving, and hacking caused the door to break down completely. This time, Lightning was sure to hack the doors into pieces in the hopes that they wouldn't be put back up while the group was inside.
Once the doors were broken down, the inside of the factory was illuminated by the half-light of West Mac. The thirty-one members of the newly expanded company stopped to gaze at the destroyed form of Madison for a moment before continuing on in.
At Sandro's suggestion, the group was split in two, or almost two, as there were an odd number of people in the party. Fifteen people stood by the open entrance into the factory, the remaining sixteen ventured forward, all headed to the area that Sandro and Adam had explored the last time they went in.
They found the maze like halls quickly, and winded through them into the declining light, further into the darkness that five of them knew would be waiting ahead.
"This is it." Sandro stopped before a door on the far end of one hall. Opening the door, the sixteen people are greeted by complete blackness. The members of the split party slowed their pace as one, all gazing into the darkness that waited for them. The eleven new members of the group had no idea what they were looking at, but the five that had been there before knew what this darkness meant.
They had found what they were looking for; it must be in this room.
Blitz, his mind freaking out in excitement over the new victims that he knew would be taken in this fight, suggested that they send in one of the new party members in order to bring the darkness out of it's hiding place.
The other four from the main party agreed to this with an amount of reticence. They all know what was about to happen.
A mindless drone by the name of ADE was sent in. A moment later, he ran out of the room with the blackness following after him. Letting out a girlish scream, ADE was eaten alive.
The blackness turned its attention on the remaining fifteen party members, who were laughing in delight at the death of ADE.
"Oh man," laughed Kwannon, "that was so funny! That guy had it coming!"
Blitz is screeching in delight at the death, growing stronger as ADEs' brain was sucked out of its skull, being consumed by the collective spirits in the factory.
Meanwhile, Sandro has ventured into the room that the darkness had just vacated in its perusal of ADE. He looked around at the room, unimpressed with its scant furnishings. He was thinking that there must have been something there that caused the darkness to return to the room, something that the darkness was warding, keeping it away from all visitors. But where was it?
The darkness, facing fourteen members of the expanded group, seemed to be deciding upon whom it should attack next. Spinning in delight, the shadows settled down over all fourteen members, and began to squeeze.
Sandro saw what was happening to his fourteen friends in the hall outside the room. He darted back into the room immediately, looking for something, anything, with which to destroy the squeezing force. Walking across the room, looking for anything that may help, Sandro tripped over a loose floorboard, falling to the ground with a crash. Because Sandro was a Hucast, the weight of the fall was enough to bust open a few of the floorboards beneath him. Looking down at the mess he had made with the floor, Sandro noticed something that had been concealed under the loose floorboard that he had just tripped over. "What's that?" he asked himself, while reaching for the hidden object.
In the hall, the fourteen members of the divided group fought the darkness that was slowly squeezing the life out of them.
"I'm sorry," Blitz announced, "this is all my fault. I was taken over by the spirits last time we were in here."
Kwannon looked through the darkness at Blitz, "What do you mean? I was under the impression that the darkness could only affect us in here."
"Apparently not, it was causing me problems all the way into the city." Blitz continued fighting off the black shadows.
"What the heck!" Lightning shouted, fighting alongside Alaina.
Alaina was crying again. "Poor blitz!"
"I hate to say it guys, I think I may have let the darkness spread to the rest of the city." Blitz turned toward them again, as if to get a last look at them all.
Outside the factory, fifteen mercenaries stood waiting for the others to come back. All of them were bored, thinking that this was just a waste of time. At least they had earned enough money to get dinner that week.
Moments later, the fifteen people that were part of the expanded group turned in shock, as thousands of ghostly forms started up the hill, making their way toward the factory. Standing between the factory and the approaching wall of ghosts, the fifteen mercenaries prepared for battle.
With a battle taking place in the hall, and a new battle happening outside the factory, Sandro was alone in a room, gazing at what he had just found hidden underneath the floor of the factory. It was a rare, yet what had been in the red box was a rare like none he had ever seen. It was a photon crystal, much like the prototypes that he had seen which hadn't been released to the public yet. But this photon crystal was different in that it was a pure black color. As he held the crystal in his hand, it was as if it absorbed all the light around it, leaving him in an even deeper half-light than he had been before uncovering it. Sandro had a feeling that in some way this crystal was the power behind the dark spirits in the factory.
And now he was holding that power in his own hands.
In the hall outside the room, Alaina cast a spell of funkiness. The spell had moved the four from the main group only inches away from their previous location, but amazingly, those few inches had been enough to bring them out of the darkness.
Blitz seemed very excited about something. "That's it!" He shouted.
"What's it?" Kwannon asked in interest.
"That's the opening theme to funky town!" Blitz replied. "Won't you take me down, to funky town?!"
Sandro motioned the four others into the room with him. As they entered, they were all in awe of the phantasm taking place in the palm of his hand.
"THAT'S IT!" Blitz yelled in a mixture of loathing and fear.
"What's it?" asked Kwannon again.
"That's the opening theme to.... wait a sec. That darkness in your hand there feels very familiar."
Alaina gazed intently into the dark crystal in Sandros palm. "So pretty," she whispered.
The darkness, done with it's killing of the other mercenaries in the hall, blocked the doorway to the small room that the five members of the company stood in. It began its approach to them slowly, knowing that it had the upper hand.
Sandro brought up his arm with the dark crystal in it, hoping to call upon some unknown power for protection. As soon as he did this, the darkness stopped its advance toward the group, and began backing away.
Lightning noticed this, and remarked upon it. "The dark crystal matches the color of the dark shadow out there."
Blitz was going over something in his mind. "I remember feeling like I had to keep you guys away from that crystal you have there. It could be the power behind the ghosts."
Kwannon had found something in a desk drawer against one of the walls. She was going over it, and a moment later let out a sharp breath of surprise. The others came over to her at once.
"This journal here is documentation of the previous owner of the factory buying that crystal you have off the black market. He didn't know what it was that he had bought before he had paid for it, only that it was something that was promised to change his life forever."
With the dark crystal absorbing light in his palm, Sandro commented, "That's for sure."
Kwannon went on with the reading; "He realized that it was the crystal causing the problems after the ghosts started killing the factory workers, but he was unable to do anything about it. The crystal was said to have come from the government, and if it were found that he owned it, he would have been in big trouble. His writing here claims that he was rarely able to control himself unless he was near the crystal. It seems that the crystal was not only the source of the darkness, but also it's weakness."
Kwannon turned immediately to the crystal in wonder. "This is the source of power for the spirits. That must by why Blitz came to his senses before he was killed, we were near the crystal."
They all nodded their head in agreement, beginning to understand what was going on.
"The magic I could work with that," Alaina said in wonder.
Lightning placed a hand on her shoulder in order to comfort her, "Alaina, you worked your magic just fine out there. If you hadn't, we would all be dead by now. Well, except for Sandro, of course."
"Thanks!" Alaina jumped up and embraced Lightning, kissing him hard on the mouth.
Sandro was looking at the crystal, now understanding what it was he had in his hand. "So.... This is the strength behind the spirits. We can take care of that." With that, Sandro dropped the crystal on the floor, which caused the dark shadows to appear at the door again, poised to strike down the intruders that had broken into the factor. The darkness stopped when Sandro raised his robotic foot above the crystal, bringing his full weight down upon it. Instantly the crystal was destroyed, and as it was, the dark shadows of the spirits let out a deafening scream of pain and anguish. After years of being imprisoned within the crystal, the dark spirits were freed, rising out of the factory, and into the heavens above.
Making their way past the strewn about lifeless bodies within the hall, the group of five went to the front entrance to find the doors were still broken, as well as the bodies of the fifteen mercenaries they had left outside, but that wasn't the biggest change.
The half-light was gone from West Mac, replaced, instead, by the shining, life giving light from the sun as it beamed its way into the city, chasing away the shadows that had claimed the place since the city’s creation three years earlier.
"The dark crystal must have been behind the darkness that had permeated this half of the city," Blitz observed, "we just started a whole new life for these people."
Alaina walked forward from the other four in the group, looking out at the beauty of the newly revealed West Mac, which now matched the brightness of East Mac easily. "It's a whole new world for them," she agreed, "They can start where they were supposed to now." She turned back to the other four with a big smile on her face, and a tear on her cheek.
Lowering her arm with the NarmanB cane, everyone hears a muffled, "I want to hack PSO SO BAD!"
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: trypticon on 2003-12-25 12:16 ]</font>