Endgame

"My only request is the Silver Ore, and perhaps a Smelling Salt."

Solon and Fydelle rifle throughout their belongings, and soon pull out a set of paper shreds. They tinker with them a little bit, rearranging them... until they reveal some Paper Dolls. "Do you recall that thing I had searched for in one of the library books? It was these. I'm no Zootologist, but I know some of the basic weapon's in a demons arsenal." "Not to offend you, but Proggs are much better escape artists than humans are... And we only had two, so they went to us. Unfortunately, Iris and her cronies managed to lacerate them... We lost our layer of protection."

The party staggers up, and follows Punii out of the room. they push open the door and step into a larger chamber, and see three familiar faces: a teary-eyed Beatrice, and Fydelle and Solon, sprawled out on the floor. Their arms and tail are bandaged, and ice packs meticulously inserted into their face grids. Their bodies were contorted, signs of their bones being snapped back into places. Blood seeped through the clothes and bandages plastered over their bodies. "Heroes..." "Enjoy your beauty sleep?" Fydelle moans, still as gruff as ever. "I trust you're mostly unharmed, heroes?" What will the party ask the pair of Progg leaders?

"I was more referring to them nesting in my ribcage at one point..."

"They're better than moths, atleast..."

Ah, apologies, I misread. Sounds perfect to me!

Didn't the original gloves function exactly like that, and this whole discussion whether or not to bring them to their original state?

How is that different from the old gloves? True, I suppose the issue lies in single enemy bosses.

The problem with that is the fact that it was made for a very specific reason: the fact that it allowed bosses to be tanked and killed with nigh-zero effort. We haven't had a big boss fight with counterstrike gloves for a while; I'm a sure a QM would realize it if his boss monster was suddenly getting tanked.

You already got one, I believe.

Don't know about you, Monk, but I prefer if my bosses can knock out a hero or two.

Wouldn't the old counterstrike gloves re-open the whole "tank bosses with just a pair of gloves" strategy? Completely?

They are relatively cheap. I feel as if for the price of 2 nostrums or so, the ability to do some damage back on free hits isn't shabby at all.

Ah, okay - forogt that magical vortex did that! "...Err, never mind. I must be a bit jarred from that dimension hopping business. I shoot the Mellow Crab and Rattelsnake, back.

Sandy, have you been subtracting health for the poison? "Any capable of healing me, as I suspect this poison will soon take its toll?"

True. My recent memories of them are them wrecking bosses, so.... I guess the fact that nothing comes to mind about them recently is a very good thing.

Overkill Gloves were 48 only. Honestly, looking at them now, I'm surprised Counterstrike gloves are so cheap.

"If it was my guess, I'd say they had an artifact or *wheeze* something..." Much to Sarge's relief, he did indeed have all of his weapons. "Guess thats something you'll have to *cough* brainstorm with Solon and Fydelle... I doubt you'll be able to kill all 300 of the oculoids, much less the Proggs they have brainwashed." "Why? What happened on *wheeze* your end. I okay is a relative term, I guess, but it is definitely *wheeze* good to see you Johon! This splint is pretty *cough* bothersome, but I'll managed... Must better than being infested by some inky *wheeze* demon! They... didn't. They fled, and she quit enearly killed them." "Apparently one of the Phalanx Guards from the Stronghold managed to slip free from their grasp: The Oculoids took *wheeze* over the Stronghold, and are apparently looking for... something. The Echoes is ridiculously well protected right now, and not to mention has no Oculoid leaders. Even if we *wheeze* took it back, Iris would drive us out in an instant..." "Ahh, here is the *wheeze* silver lining in all of this: Iris depleted herself on ether. A spell of that magnitude on so many minds is draining, to say the least... According to some witnesses, she has been chugging tonics left and right, getting ready for her next little Echoes announcement. if we don't shut her down before she gets back up to full *wheeze* strength, well... Solon and Fydelle are in the room *cough* over. Want to go see them?"

Grumbling about my failed assasination, I repeat.

Charmed by Masson's high level, prestigous job class, and constant scowl, obviously.

It's unfortunate, because my NPCs aren't all that great to begin with.

Meh, if I were to do it, everyone would get repalced. Cue mass confusion.

"Finally, we'll have some peace and quiet." With a single gesture, two spears fire out from the back of the mob of Executioners in a burst of smoke. The blades cruise through the prison bars and imaple both Em and Johon. Gushing blood, they collapse to the ground, eyes glassy from a shcok. Giving one last gurlging breath as the blades retract from their torn bodies, their eyes close... dead. A progg carrying a scepter emerge from the back. Colors dance around inside the scepter's tip, drawing Sarge's attention to it. He soon become sunable to look away... A distant voice drones on and on, Sarge nodding feebly with every word. The soldier sits on his knees, glassy eyed, his mind being molded... In a matter of seconds, he was transformed into the Reaper's slave. As it seems that the heroes each meet their permanent fates, they all startle up, breaking free from their most hellish dream yet. The remaining three heroes look around in a panic, observing their new surroundings; another concrete room, somehow more inviting then the one they were just in. The room was small: A few shelves here and there, holding some commonplace items. Everyhting was arranged and cataloged neatly, each item priced and in alphabetic order. Next to them, the three toher heroes were in a fitufl, yet deep, slumber. Where were they? Most interestingly, however, there was another creature with them in the room: The small yellow Progg they had retrieved from the Deeps. He speaks to Jeaux and Erdathcaht, who had already woken from their slumber. Punii answers them, not noticing the other stirring heroes. "Nothing *wheeze* good... The situation here is really dire. We;re in the Bazaar: specifically, the storehouse of The Pit. Jeaux could recall the pit: Although deceptively small, it was the number one stop for shopping in the Colony. The place must've been pretty massive to hold all those goods for over 1,000 Proggs, and now it was their only safe haven. "You *cough* see - sorry, I'm a bit runtish, and wheeze a *wheeze* lot - The Pit's storehouse is the only cavern not hooked up to the Echoes yet. It's our only sanctuary now. Proggs that have seen what they're doing to the Homeless Corridor have come in. Only a handful, though. Apparently Solon and Fydelle managed to ward off the Oculoid's control somehow. they caught Iris off guard, grabbed you heroes, Beatrice, *wheeze* myself, and bolted from the tower. They got pretty badly beaten from the encounter... Almost died. Beatrice, the nurse, is trying to *cough* patch them up in the next room over. She already helped me out." Punii wiggles his tial, bringging attention to his splint. It wrapped around half of his body, the young Progg clearly wincing from just what movement. Punii's gaze shifts towards Johon, Sarge, and Em, notcing they were awake. "Looks like we're all awake now."

"Nnnrgh!" I hiss as the poison gushes over the party. "Even with all my consumables..." I repeat. "Sorry, people. Not doing too great this time around."