Toxoglossa 2013/09/17(Tue)21:00 No. 540940 ID: 5acad3
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"Oh God, oh God, oh God. That's where everyone has been.... He's been building an army. "

You feel strangely calm. After all of the events of the day, you realize there's nothing you can do but deal with the situation.

Toxoglossa 2013/09/17(Tue)21:01 No. 540941 ID: 5acad3
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"Okay. We need to get out of here and warn someone. But we can't leave without Dale and the book. After that, we need to find some place safe. Ideas?"

Toxoglossa 2013/09/17(Tue)21:03 No. 540943 ID: 5acad3
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The sheriff tells you that the police station would be fairly secure and is well armed, but admits that it would probably be the most likely place Radula would look and could be overwhelmed by a large enough force, especially with the condition that everyone is in now.

Jeff suggests the reservation out by the nearby mesa. Its far enough away that you could prepare a defense and you can see anyone coming for miles in every direction. While his nation may not be as well equipped as the police, its a close knit community that would be hard for "zombies" to infiltrate or overwhelm. Plus, Mesa top fortress.

...of those two ideas, I'm forced to admit Jeff's is better. The police station sounds like a death trap. Although we could still end up trapped on the Mesa, or infiltrated, and there's no leeches up there.

This is all kind of academic, though, until we find a way to get out of here. And if we don't find the book, it won't matter anyways.

>>540943
Mesa top fortress, yes.

OK, you suddenly realize that the best way to defeat Radula is through the power of song. Go!

of the plans I say the mesa top fortress just because if cuddle fish man can corrupt people I like the idea of fighting off a close-net community more then a bunch of armed/trained cops... just saying.

Maybe swing by the police station for weapons on the way to the mesa. That is if it's not already overrun.

>>540944
Hey, if there's any bodies of water at all out there then there very well may be. If this community is so prepared for a zombie invasion, then Jeff can just explain that these zombies can be cured using leaches, as they're still human. Er. Animal.

I vote for the mesa, though stopping by the police station for some gear sounds nice. Bullet proof vests for all!
(And while we're at the hospital, can we please steal every first aid kit and doctor's bag that we can carry?)

Can we just grab the weapons at the station and then hole up at the Mesa?

Also get cracking on getting Dale back first.

you can't just kill a bunch of turned people and expect not to be put in jail afterwards. you're out of leeches so that's kinda the default right now.

we need to alert some form of authority, CDC maybe. also get more leeches.

I agree son, we need to alert th' damn national guard or summit! Or the CDC. Still. We may as well get to th' mesa after that. Let's hope Jeffs' folks least got some hunting rifles. An' still, we could always aim fo' the arm, or the leg.

Oh, we should raid a pharmacological cabinet. Something to prevent Dale from sleeping could be a good idea! Also, sedatives to deal with the envenomed, maybe.

Voting for the mesa, but if possible with a side trip to the police station first to shovel its armory into the trunk of our escape vehicle.

Don't much like holing up on the mesa without a way to escape if things go bad, but the only way I can think of to would be by aircraft... Hey, does the police department here have a helicopter? Or contract with a local airstrip for one? If so, could the sheriff call up the pilot and tell him to fly up and land on the mesa? We'd have to call Jeff's relatives first to warn them so they don't freak out, of course.

Toxoglossa 2013/09/18(Wed)20:41 No. 541062 ID: 5acad3
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"Ok, Im thinking that we should try and make it to the mesa. We'll stop by the police station if we can, but getting somewhere safe is our priority."

The sheriff nods, but scowls.His swollen jaw seems to be stuck in a perma-scowl after Mary slugged him.

"First though, we need to get out of here. Jeff, I want you and the sheriff to carry Todd downstairs to the motor pool and get him inside an ambulance. Mary, I want you to come with me, the security cams showed Dale running somewhere upstairs. I just hope he's managed to stay hidden."

well seeing that Radula is gathering people and still hunting us down I think it's safe to say he's still looking for Dale

Either way tell whoever is going to drive to keep the car warm and has gas so we can make a quick getaway if we need to and can run really really far before we have to make a pit stop. Hey you never know, Radula might be able to do something that would force us away form the mesa and force us to keep running like Dale was before this happened.

We don't know if Radula's forces have made it up here, so we'll have to play things carefully. Search room-by-room with the doctor watching your back. Call softly into each room for Dale. If you get no response, give it a quick search, take anything useful, and move on. Keep in mind that anyone you see might be an agent of Radula, and, unfortunately, the only person that can tell friend from foe is currently running for his life. We need to get out of this situation and into one where we have better control. Let's get moving.

We have a plan for now, but for future reference:

We know from the doctor's experience that running forever is not an option. We also know that holing up somewhere is an equally poor choice. Any stronghold will inevitably wind up being our prison as he can infiltrate anytime as anyone.

We have 2 long term goals --

1. We must discover the nature of the book and it's secrets (find a temporary safe spot for Beth to interact with it).

2. We must find the doctor. Remember, Lynwood only said he was missing. There is no conclusive proof that he was dead, and he said himself that if he managed to survive, he would help us defeat Radula somehow. The doctor is literally our only hope unless the book turns up some alternate method of defeating him.

Considering the above facts, I think our best option would be to visit the police station only long enough to stock up on ammunition, noting that Radula can be hurt (though hurting him may cause him to make a cuss-word-of-doom.)

If we can find a reprieve there long enough for Beth to interact with the Book, we can then get back on the road better equipped against Radula's growing army. Then we can discuss our options for locating the doctor.

Now go find Dale!

Toxoglossa 2013/09/21(Sat)19:57 No. 541460 ID: 5acad3
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Taking Todd on their shoulders, Jeff and the sheriff cautiously head downstairs.

Toxoglossa 2013/09/21(Sat)20:03 No. 541463 ID: 5acad3
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Meanwhile, you take Mary upstairs relying on her hearing to supplement your damaged ears, as well as her likely ability to identify possessed people.

Toxoglossa 2013/09/21(Sat)20:03 No. 541464 ID: 5acad3
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You climb up to the third floor landing, hoping he's still safe.

Toxoglossa 2013/09/21(Sat)20:03 No. 541465 ID: 5acad3
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But when you peek down the hallway, you see evidence of Radula's minions.

>>541465
Keep going up to the roof-oh god SECURITY CAMERAS. The security room is still active, and likely manned by Radula's minions. You've been spotted already, most likely. Move fast.

Shit, you can't go to the third floor. If some of Radula's minions are still around you two don't stand a chance if you run into them. Head up to the roof instead.

The roof access door looks like its been propped open. Might mean that there's somebody up there who did it so they could get back in later. Possibly Dale, but also possibly Radula's minions searching the roof. Advance cautiously, and if it does turn out to be minions rush back and close the door to trap them up there.

Ask Mary if there's any possibly way down from the roof that doesn't go through the hospital interior. Be it a ladder, fire escape, or just climbing over the edge to drop to the roof of the floor below.

>Security camera
No way to tell if one of Radula's minions is watching the cameras right now or if they are that they saw you. Best assume they did and move quick.

ask Mary if she hears anything and if not move to the roof and work your way down if you must.

Toxoglossa 2013/09/23(Mon)19:44 No. 541803 ID: 5acad3
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Mary listens at the door to the roof and indicates that she doesn't hear anything, so you step outside onto the warm asphalt.

Hey, Dale?

Toxoglossa 2013/09/23(Mon)19:44 No. 541804 ID: 5acad3
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He turns around, his eyes bloodshot and pleading. His lips move in the shape of your name. Oh God, what the hell is he doing up there?

Toxoglossa 2013/09/23(Mon)19:45 No. 541805 ID: 5acad3
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A gust of wind kicks up and Dale waves you both back. Hes saying something but you only catch the shape of a few words:

Dale
>"__________orry_________-nthin-____run___________________hur-____________-ult."

Hes desperate, exhausted, and from what you can tell, furious at himself. You feel as if something inside yourself is trying to speak through you, trying to reach out before he steps off the edge.

For a moment you can speak directly through Beth.

"dying wont save us, dale. only fighting can, but you aren't alone now"

>>541805
Dale. You hurt Radula in his library, remember? We guided you then, like we guide Beth now. Hear this. Radula is immortal but not invincible. We can beat him, drive him back. Keep him from the Book, and read it yourself, for it stores all that will happen and in a way, all that can happen. Millions of people were sacrificed to bring the Book into this world. The very gods fought and bled to keep it from Radula. Take up their desperate fight. Stay with us. We need you and the Book both.

More information. The Book cannot be destroyed, as it exists in all timelines and can be recovered by Radula from any of them. He can see into his many futures to decide what to do- this could make confrontation difficult, but the longer Radula is in this world, the less future he sees. Radula can camouflage himself but sees almost no future while doing so, and thermal optics may still work. Do not let him know your full names, names give him power. The Gods can be summoned through song, but the song-language is lost. The Gods are known as the Chorus. The Professor has seen Radula's library.

We continue to guide Beth for now, but we will likely help you in the future, Dale. That is all I can impart upon you. Good luck.

"Dale, you're not alone in this anymore. That book is on all our shoulders now.

Without you, I don't know what we're going to do. We all may as well jump together in that case...

Please, come back. We can get out of here. One step at a time, okay?"

This isn't your fault. You didn't start this, but together we can end it. You have already hurt Radula, and what bleeds can be killed.

Dale, I know you've had a very hard life since you came in possession of that book, but we need you. Now more then ever. That thing, Radula is still out there and if he gets his hands on that book... everything, EVERYTHING as we know it will be gone. So PLEASE Dale, we need you, you've fought these things far longer then anyone hear, you know more about then than all of us put together and just because you jump here those things will still come after us, and without you... I'm not sure we can make it. Besides, if we win then this nightmare is over, if we lose... will then you'll get your 'jump' and all of us will be dragged down with you. Please Dale help us see this though to the end, and I promise you that I'll be there by your side though all of it form now on, your not by yourself anymore, me, Jeff, Mary, all of us will be with you. So please Dale just don't jump, help us instead and let us help you in return.

>>541820
The first part of this
>>541808
Then this

Dale seems to find fighting to be futile and that he "can't do anything but run" and (most likely) that if anyone else ended up hurt, he couldn't live with the guilt. Maybe speak on how he saved Todd's life? If he realizes that he can win, and that he'll save more people by fighting than by giving up, then I think we can get him to come down.

To the tune of "Sound of Music"...

"Have NO fear of Rad-ula, for we know his
weakNESS is a song that I'm here to sing
Step aWAY from that ledge and give me the book now
So I can read it, and learn all his tricks

I don't have something for Beth to say, but I noticed Dale's eyes aren't dark anymore and nobody else has commented on that. Does that mean he doesn't have the leech in his head? 'Cause the only way that it could have gotten out is if he ripped it out or Radula's minions did, and if they did we've already lost the Book. Or does it mean the leech isn't working anymore?

>>541842
He can see the darkness of his eyes but Beth can't.

You're one of the only people who can stop this catastrophe from engulfing the universe. We need you. So stop being silly, get over here and DALE with it.

>>541820

Even if we were meant to use meta-knowledge through Beth, I doubt Dale would be particularly moved by Beth randomly speaking of things she has no way of knowing. That may just make him think she's with Radula.

>>541821
It's pointless to jump, dale. Even if you die, you'll be brought back into the endless chaos to suffer forever. We can die once the book is secure.

"Do you want a hug, Dale?"

"Dale, don't you dare jump. Not after what we've gone through to find you. We still need you. Yes, you! Not just for the Book, for you. We're gonna fight this thing, and we need you with us. And if you see it as suicide to try and fight, well, then it's no different than what you were gonna do so you may as well indulge my delusion that we could actually win."

Toxoglossa 2013/09/24(Tue)21:37 No. 541963 ID: 5acad3
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"Dale, you're not alone in this anymore. That book is on all our shoulders now.

Without you, I don't know what we're going to do. We all may as well jump together in that case...

Please, come back. We can get out of here. One step at a time, okay?"

Toxoglossa 2013/09/24(Tue)21:37 No. 541964 ID: 5acad3
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Dale, I know you've had a very hard life since you came in possession of that book, but we need you. Now more then ever. That thing, Radula is still out there and if he gets his hands on that book... everything, EVERYTHING as we know it will be gone. So PLEASE Dale, we need you, you've fought these things far longer then anyone hear, you know more about then than all of us put together and just because you jump here those things will still come after us, and without you... I'm not sure we can make it. Besides, if we win then this nightmare is over, if we lose... will then you'll get your 'jump' and all of us will be dragged down with you. Please Dale help us see this though to the end, and I promise you that I'll be there by your side though all of it form now on, your not by yourself anymore, me, Jeff, Mary, all of us will be with you. So please Dale just don't jump, help us instead and let us help you in return.

Toxoglossa 2013/09/24(Tue)21:38 No. 541965 ID: 5acad3
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"dying wont save us, dale. only fighting can, but you aren't alone now"

Toxoglossa 2013/09/24(Tue)21:38 No. 541967 ID: 5acad3
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Dale steps down from the ledge and throws himself around your shoulders. His whole body shaking, he holds onto you like if you were the only solid place in a universe rapidly falling apart.

You've only known him for a few hours; he's scrawny, exhausted, and needs a shower, but you let him hang on as he recuperates. You return the hug and the doubt that slithered through your mind for years melts away. You feel as if you are doing what you were born to do: help someone who is need.

yaaaay!

now tell him to come on, we got a way out of here but we need to leave before the creep show finds us.

You should still try singing a catchy tune.

I'VE GOT A LOVELY BUNCH OF COCONUTS

Well, that's that. Hug it out for a minute and then make haste. We can't be caught here.

Our first priority needs to be to get armed, and second to put enough distance between us and Radula to safely let Beth "read" the book...Come to think of it...

Even if Radula puts all his thralls into a forced march, they'll never get as far as we potentially can with a car.

If we can get armed and stay on the move, He'll always have to abandon his army and face our weapons solo.

This may be the only advantage we can exploit.

Wait, I just thought of something else...

The only difference between dale and everyone else was that he had a leech attached to his brain and he possessed the book and he was barred from sleeping again...

Now Mary and Todd share those traits. Does that mean Radula can stalk their dreams now too?

Now start rubbing his back

Whisper to Dale that there's a plan, we just have to get away from the hospital ASAP with the Book. Then it's time to get going.

And to avoid confusion or miscommunication at a bad time also share that you're almost totally deaf from being next to the MRI when it blew up. Just also make sure to say it'll heal in a few months so Dale doesn't feel nearly as bad about it.

Quickly look around the roof before heading down, just in case you have to retreat back here. Is there any other way down besides the stairs (or jumping?) Maybe a ladder or dropping to a roof a floor below?

>>542080
They're not dumb zombies, man. They're as intelligent and capable as they were before being poisoned. And that means they can drive after us.

We just need to get the book and get out. Radula is searching the 3rd floor. Is that where the book is? We don't have a lot of time. See if you can coax him into pulling himself together and showing you where the book is.

>>542126

I didn't say they were dumb zombies. Recall back to the intermission. Radula's thralls can act semi-autonomously or he can control them directly.

While semi-autnomous they can perform "fairly simple behaviors". I doubt that includes driving. I don't think he can control more than one directly.

Even if they can drive, how many cars do you think they can immediately get? A carpool of semi-smart "zombies" sounds like a real silly and slow army.

Anyway, yeah. Does Dale have the book now?

>>542141
>how many cars do you think they can immediately get?
Well, the 'zombies' likely traveled to this area in the first place while not zombies. Some of them could have taken public transport or walked, but it's likely that the majority of them drove their own vehicles. Those vehicles would likely still be nearby, or at least within a mile.

That said, who ever said that the carless 'zombies' can't carjack people? Grab someone, throw them out of the car, get in, keys already there.

We have to expect the worse case scenario rather than the best, if we want to beat this guy.

>>542158
This is a hospital, so almost none of the in-patients should have cars around here, the carpark itself looks pretty small on the map, and it is unlikely that Rad would be able to organize fast enough to gain on us much (many people trying to find a few cars in what seems to be a small area) or to find people to carjack (based on the fact that there seems to be relatively few doctors offices (6) and only one far off bathroom on the first floor, there should not be many people coming by for check-ups or to visit patients by car) A good question is whether we should take the cops car (able to speed with no danger of being pulled over, most likely in the car park) or Jeff's car (better offroad and probably more durability, shown being parked in front of the hospital, but maybe moved to carpark)

>>542141
>fairly simple behaviors
They were able to to notch and fire a bow pretty accurately, so they should be able to drive (it's a simple enough behavior that many people drive on autopilot)

Once we get to Jeff's place, I think we (Dale, Todd, and Mary) should immediately go to sleep after informing them of what's to come.(when the army is still a ways off) This might be able to force him to choose between controlling/advancing the minions and attacking us directly. He'll probably feel like he can take us, and we'll get a chance to go into the library again.(possibly with 3 of you)

If we go to the carpark we should shove or jam something to the door so it takes longer for them to get to the cars. I also recommend we take the cop car instead of Jeff's. Also pick up a sleep agent from the pharmacy if you can.

>>542187
There's still employee cars, visitors', and nearby places, and nobody said they cant carpool. Heck, wasn't Radula gathering people at a church, as well? He's branched out. He's mad.

>>542207

I already mentioned that the carpooling idea is ridiculous. They'll never keep up with us that way.

But let's assume they can drive well. The worst case scenario is that we don't get out fast enough and they are immediately on our tail. They could overtake us in numbers and force us off the road. Game over

I suggest we take BOTH the Sheriff's car and Jeff's car. Not only would squeezing everyone in a single car suck, we would then have the option to split up if needed to throw Radula off our trail. Splitting up, of course, should be a last ditch effort for survival and nothing less.

So yeah, I still say get weapons from the police station and avoid trapping ourselves anywhere, such as at Jeff's place.

I repeat: If we try to hole up somewhere, Radula -will- get in and he will overwhelm us with his army. No silly makeshift defenses will do more than delay him a bit.

Toxoglossa 2013/09/26(Thu)18:53 No. 542253 ID: 5acad3
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"You going to be okay?"

Dale wipes his face and nods, a little unsure of himself. His eyes catch the bandage around your ear and you can tell he's noticed a change in Mary.

Dale
>"H__y __it. W___ ha___ed?"

>>542126
"Dale, I'm having trouble hearing after the MRI blew up. We'll explain whats been happening, but first we need to get out of here. We may have been spotted on our way up."

Dale
>"Sp___ed? _y _ho?"

Toxoglossa 2013/09/26(Thu)18:54 No. 542254 ID: 5acad3
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>>542127
"No time, You still have the book?"

Dale turns and pulls his satchel from its hiding place between a pair of ducts. He throws it ovre his shoulder and gives you a thumbs up: ready to go.

Toxoglossa 2013/09/26(Thu)18:55 No. 542255 ID: 5acad3
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>>542126
>>542187

You find a cinderblock, presumably to prop the door open, and use it to wedge it shut instead. On the far end of the building you find a ladder down to the first floor and cautiously descend.

is there a latter or some kind of fire escape you could use to get off the roof so as not to have to walk back the way you came and possibly into a trap/ambush?

>>542255
Keep an eye out down there. Check out the surrounding alleyways for any of Radula's minions. Head quickly to the garage where the rest of the group is hopefully waiting.

Is the radio still working? You could tell them you're coming.

Alright, be the last one to go over and act as lookout since you can speak but not hear, then get down ASAP.

Tell Dale to be careful where he steps since he's not wearing shoes. If we get to the police station he should swipe some footwear.

How far is it to the vehicle bay and how many windows and glass doors will you have to pass to get there? Think you three could crawl or stoop under most of them to avoid being spotted?

>>542260
Do not use the radio. If any of Radula's minions have one on they'll hear you. The group will just have to know you're coming when they finally see you.

If possible, prepare a car before you meet up with the others. That way, you can all make a quick escape as soon as possible. Keep in mind that you have six people traveling with you - try to get something that will fit all of you. An ambulance would be awfully easy to spot, but you could get through traffic easily by turning on the siren. Considering Radula can find you pretty much any time he wants, putting as much distance as quickly as possible between you and him seems like a good idea.

WEE-OO, WEE-OO, WEE-OO, WEE-OO

Toxoglossa 2013/09/29(Sun)20:58 No. 542601 ID: 5acad3
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You head to the edge of the roof and look out at the opposite side of the hospital where a pair of ambulances are parked in a small lot.

Toxoglossa 2013/09/29(Sun)20:58 No. 542602 ID: 5acad3
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As you look around for a quick way down, a trio of figures hurl themselves out into the lot. Together Jeff and Lynwood heft Todd in a wheelchair and shove him into an ambulance before jumping into the cab.

Toxoglossa 2013/09/29(Sun)20:58 No. 542603 ID: 5acad3
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Moments later the doors are thrown back by a silent, grim-faced horde, pouring out of the building like a furious anthill.

>>542601
Extremely poor posture Beth, you should work on that

Now to the point, warn Dale about it and book it. I don't think you can do ANYTHING for those three besides shout "UP HERE! I HAVE THE BOOK UP HERE!"

you guys still have the radio right? how high are you three off the ground cause from >>542601 it only looks like a story or two. If they don't have time to stop what are your chance of radioing them and telling them to pull up next to the building so you, Dave, and Mary can jump on top of the ambulance and then just jump inside form the rear of the thing and take off like a bat out of hell?

Have you still got your radio, Beth? Would you be able to contact Jeff & Lynwood in the cab?

GET BOTH AMBULANCES.

Seriously, not taking both means they can follow you with the other one! Whomever pulls out first leads the way.

>>542603
Ah, I have a plan. We can radio to them to drive over to the other side of the building, where Mary and Dale can get into the ambulance. Distract the mob by yelling that you've got the book up there and you'll "destroy it" unless they let you go. That will delay them because they'll have to climb up the ladder to get to you. Before they reach you, you can jump off onto the roof of the ambulance. You should do that with enough time to spare that they can't also jump onto the roof.

>>542602
Hide. There's no way you'd beat the mob to the other ambulence, so your best hope is that those three lead the mob away from you.

>>542610
THIS IS A GOOD IDEA.
as rad as it would be, we do not want a car chase here if we can help it.
Chances are they'll have their own cars to fall back on, but any delay is a good delay

Toxoglossa 2013/10/02(Wed)20:31 No. 542859 ID: 5acad3
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The horde advances on the ambulance as Jeff struggles to start it. Hoping to distract them, you shout into the radio:

"Sheriff, can you hear me? We're on the roof across from you! We've got Dale and the Book!"

Heads swiveling in unison, the mind-controlled swarm instantly forgets about the ambulance and turns on you.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/02(Wed)20:32 No. 542860 ID: 5acad3
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They hurl themselves at the wall and clamber over each other to reach the roof, giving Jeff time to start the ambulance. He swings the car around the crowd and pulls up underneath you.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/02(Wed)20:32 No. 542861 ID: 5acad3
File 138077114146.jpg - (51.28KB , 600x532 , 288.jpg )

Together you jump onto the roof of the ambulance, drop to the ground and climb in through the back door.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/02(Wed)20:32 No. 542862 ID: 5acad3
File 138077116260.jpg - (52.89KB , 600x467 , 289.jpg )

Once the three of you are in, Jeff puts his foot down and tears ass out of the parking lot.

"There was another ambulance, right? You think they'll follow us?"

Jeff responds with an impish smile and holds up a car key. They must have taken both in their hurry to escape.

>>542862
NICE. Jeff is awesome. Alright, let's stick to the plan and swing by the police station briefly to see if we can at least reload the sheriff's gun if not gain some extra help(if anyone will believe us), then to the Mesa to fortify.

Eyes on the road, Jeff!

all right, that was almost like it was pulled out of a movie. Now to begin plan GTFO of here. As we go to point B wherever that may be look around and see how everyone is doing, I mean no one has had it easy lately and it couldn't hurt to make sure they're all there.

I mean Dale just tried to kill himself
Lynwood just walked into a horror movie
Todd has had his leg broken and was possessed by some elderich abomination
Mary was also possessed, most likely killed someone, and lured a bunch of people to also be possessed by said elderich abomination.
and Jeff seems fine but it couldn't hurt to check on him either.

Good work Jeff. That'll slow them down, for a little bit.

Unfortunately there will be other cars in the parking lot, and it won't take too long for Radula's minions to locate them, and find keys.

Police station is probably not the place to go. There will be too many questions to answer, too much that doesn't fit, and we'll be slowed down by that and people trying to follow proper procedure.

The mesa might be a good place to hide out, but that's only a stalling measure. They'll get in, eventually.

Beth really needs to see if she can get anything useful out of the book. We need a more permanent solution.

...also a huge pile of leeches would be nice.

>>542901

To the bayou!

Oh shit I almost forgot. While riding, read the Book.

If/when we get to the police station, Lynwood should probably mention that they should send a team to go clean up the hospital. Radula will probably be gone by the time they get there, and if not everyone was taken over (patients), then they'll need someone to take care of them.

>>542971

Does Lynwood have his own radio he can use to contact the police station? He might be able to contact survivors who could then search for leeches and head out for the mesa. The main flaw with that plan is that Radula might already have some police enthralled and pick up on the transmission.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/04(Fri)20:59 No. 543066 ID: 5acad3
File 138094559253.jpg - (58.17KB , 600x452 , 290.jpg )

As you speed off, you take a minute and start to fill in Dale about whats happened since the explosion and the plan to head for the mesa. Now that he's seen the army that Radula has been building, Dale seems to understand the importance of having people who can spot mind-controlled individuals quickly. You tell him that you still need to try and "read" the book to get as much information about fighting the creature as possible. You consider you options and wonder if this would be a good time.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/04(Fri)21:00 No. 543067 ID: 5acad3
File 138094561087.jpg - (21.31KB , 600x284 , 291.jpg )

However, you feel a lurch as the car decelerates. You look out of the window to see why Jeff is stopping. It looks like a patrol car has been abandoned in the middle of the highway into town.

and there is blood, radula got a cop.

>>543067
I see blood. We need a spotter. Either Mary or Dale could get up to a high spot and look to see if anyone's nearby. It occurs to me that a devenomed member of the team should probably be in the passenger's seat while driving. Oh, and we need to be sure nobody's hiding IN the car.

If the coast is clear, you could try using the car's radio to warn the police, but we can't let Radula know where we are either. We should tell them to call the national guard, and that polarized glasses can reveal Radula's victims if used properly.

Uh, keep the engine running and peer around. If the coast is clear, the sheriff can get out and check out the cop car.

slow the car down but never stop. Just see what you can see by driving by and unless you see something useful just drive by.

>>543067
could be anything to just an abandoned car to something rigged with an IED. as much as I'd like to scavenge supplies from the car, I'd rather drive well around it.

Have Dale scramble up on top of the Ambulence cab to get a view of the surrounding area without having to stop completely.

Errr.... I just realized something.
How are we going to convince the National Guard to come down here?

>>543121
here's a worse possibility. who better for Radula to corrupt then a member of the national Guard?

Toxoglossa 2013/10/08(Tue)19:12 No. 543451 ID: 5acad3
File 138128472621.jpg - (70.64KB , 600x510 , 292.jpg )

You slow down the car and the Sheriff rushes out to check on the car. On the ground he finds several empty bullet casings and several small pools of blood. When he checks inside, he pulls out the radio's handset, its cord ending in a bundle of torn wires.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/08(Tue)19:12 No. 543452 ID: 5acad3
File 138128473787.jpg - (41.80KB , 491x600 , 293.jpg )

He tries to check in on dispatch with his own radio several times. From what it looks like, hes having trouble getting through to them.

oh dear, they've already hit the police station... Thank god we went with the mesa top here.

there should be recording equipment in there
lets see what happened.

>>543454
Recording equipment but no way of playing it back.

>>543452
Check the trunk and the back seat, then see if the blood trail leads anywhere. If not, just get back in the ambulance and keep going. Radula must've purloined vehicles by now and is sending them out to find us.

Oh, something just occurred to me. If the car is still here, then the driver has not been envenomed. Time to look for him!

Dang. The station's already in trouble. Or the radio tower is down. Or all the mystic munbo-jumbo is interfering with regular communications.

If he can't find anyone, we don't have much choice. Grab whatever's useful and move on. I know it will hurt him not knowing what happened to his people, or not being able to help, but the only way anyone survives is if we keep the book away, and find a way to solve this.

That's bad. Ask if it's interference or just that nobody is picking up. The latter would likely indicate that the police station has already been hit by Radula.

Are the keys still in the patrol car's ignition? If so, then great; You've got another vehicle. Lynwood can take it and lead ahead of the ambulance. Otherwise don't spend much time here. Have Lynwood grab anything useful from the front seats then pop the trunk and nab what he can from back there.

If it's possible to set the channel or frequency on Lynwood's radio, the one in the ambulance and the one that Beth is carrying, then change them all to an unusual channel or frequency. That way they could be used to communicate with a low chance of Radula hearing. They should still not be used to communicate anything that'd point Radula to where you are, though.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/10(Thu)20:46 No. 543704 ID: 5acad3
File 138146319727.jpg - (45.68KB , 600x457 , 294.jpg )

Investigating further, Lynwood spots a trail of blood and scuffs left by someone struggling while being dragged. He follows them to a set of tire tracks left in the dust by the road, heading into town.

Returning to the car, the Sheriff pops the trunk, finding a shotgun, a box of 12 buckshot shells, and a box of "less-than-lethal" beanbag rounds.

Grim-faced he returns to the ambulance to report and tells the group that the patrol car has been left idling and is low on gas, but looks like it could at least make it to town. Mary and Lynwood change the transmission channel on their radios, hoping to keep the growing swarm of converts from eavesdropping.

>>543704
Fuck yes, those beanbag rounds will be exceptionally useful in not killing the converted. However, they should be saved for important targets. Sadly, most converts we fight, if we're attacked by a large group, will not be capturable and we'll have to kill them.

Uh, by "into town", is that towards the mesa? If so, then yes, let's take the cop car with us. An extra vehicle could be handy up there. Otherwise, forget it, we can't go back into that deathtrap. Well, the carriers of the book can't. If Lynwood wants to split up and see if he can organize some of the cops in town, then sure. He'd need the help of someone that can detect the converted, though. Actually, come to think of it... if dispatch won't answer, then there's no point in going back to the police station, because it's either completely abandoned or full of armed converted.

So let's just keep going.

I say we all stick to the ambulance, maybe just take the gas from the cruiser and put it in the ambulance and make with all hast to the mesa. I mean it would be nice to have more then one vehicle but if the car can only get you to town and it turns out the town is overrun by those things you'd be kinda S.O.L. and even worse is they could turn whoever goes and then send them back claiming they've escaped to try and steal the book.

>>543704
Could make it to town, or will make it to town? (I mean, will it maybe have enough gas to reach town, or does it definitely have enough gas?) If A, leave it. (and have him search it for cuffs) If B, have him follow you and if need be, you can distract the minions while he gets weapons.

no, man, don't have the only guy without a headworm scout! the baddies will know the plan then!

...if they've made it to town, I'm not sure what we can do. We're out of leeches. We don't have a way to stop the infected without killing them, and we can't bring them the book. I mean, we might be able to help some of the people in trouble, but the best way to help anyone is to try and find a way to use the book to end this.

Is there a hose handy (maybe in some of the surgical supplies) to siphon some petrol from the Ambulance to the car?

If Lynwood is saying the police car'll reach the town in the reservation Jeff's relatives are at, then take it to scout the route ahead. Have Mary drive since she's leech'd and protected from Radula's influence. But even if it doesn't have enough gas to reach the reservation she can still take it and scout far ahead of the ambulance until it runs out of fuel, then get in the ambulance.

Is there a length of hose in either the back of the ambulance or in the trunk of the police car that could be used to siphon gas from the ambulance to the car? 'Cause if there is and there's spare gas in the ambulance's tank then transfer some to the car.

You think you could try to misdirect Radula's minions by temporarily flipping the radio to the normal channel and say stuff that'll make it sound like you're gonna make a run for interstate highway or some direction away from the mesa? It'd have to be subtle, but it'd be worth a try, just as long as the route to wherever you misdirect to doesn't go near the mesa.

I have no idea why we're still planning on going to the Mesa. It's indefensible. We are not armed to hold off an army and as soon as they get in, we're MORE boned than if we were out in the open because we will have trapped ourselves.

I think we're better off heading to the Doctor's last known location. We can cross-reference what Lynwood and Dale know about the Doctor and try to track him down. At least then, we're moving targets.

If I missed the reasons why the Mesa would be a good idea, let me know, because I can't think of one.

For all we know, the Mesa has been taken by Radula already...Or maybe I'm just over-thinking this and that's just where the next plot hook is.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/15(Tue)19:30 No. 544363 ID: 5acad3
File 138189062709.jpg - (26.04KB , 600x238 , 295.jpg )

You consider siphoning gas from the ambulance, but the only tubing you have on hand is 1/8th inch medical tubing. If you had all day, it might be worth it to try, but the longer you stay the more likely you would be found. Instead you decide rather than risk it, it would be safer to stick together.

Lynwood hops back into the ambulance and you take off down the highway. He also hangs onto the shotgun, since it is police property after all. He loads it with beanbag rounds and snaps the chamber shut, leaving the revolver with Jeff for now.

You have a little while before the ambulance gets to the exit into town so you turn your attention back to your comrades.

see how mary is holding up then go to dale then Todd, jeff, and lastly Lynwood

Then ask how Mary's handling the hole in her neck.

Then ask if Todd got his leech taken out, and if he's slept since. We're still not clear on if it's safe to remove Dale's. Then again Dale might be a special case? Ask if Dale remembers how he got envenomed.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/16(Wed)19:25 No. 544444 ID: 5acad3
File 138197671963.jpg - (60.30KB , 492x600 , 296.jpg )

Mary seems to be holding it together for now, part of her job as a doctor is to keep a cool head under pressure. But you can tell she feels sick at the thought of being used as a tool to hurt people. She doesn't remember any of the events after the explosion and on some level is blaming herself for the attack.

Todd actually seem a little out of it actually, though given his usual cheerful attitude its hard to say. You realize that having lost an eye and a kneecap, its likely that hes been given painkillers of some sort to help deal with his injuries. He looks at you and gives you a pained smile, telling you not to worry.

Apperently the doctors didn't have time to remove the leech in his head, and he hasn't fallen asleep since being attacked by Radula. You aren't sure whether or not it is safe for Mary and Todd to sleep after being freed from the mind-controlling effects of the toxin. Its unclear if the nightmares Dale experiences are an effect of the venom, or caused by the Book itself.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/16(Wed)19:27 No. 544445 ID: 5acad3
File 138197682521.jpg - (39.18KB , 357x535 , 297.jpg )

Dale seems pretty worried, blaming himself for running rather than standing up to the creature. He's sorry for leaving everyone when he had to but running has been his only defense so far, and is the only reason he has made it this far. He was hoping that Radula would follow him rather than attack the group, but realizes that he's running out places to run to. Now that Dale has seen what you're facing, he realizes that killing himself wouldn't have solved anything and wants to help any way he can. He says that he's willing to let you look at the Book of Worms whenever you feel like you're ready.

Poor Dale, you've been through so much, keep comforting him, those on suicide watch need constant reinforcement or else they slip back easily. But watch to see if he suddenly becomes cheerful out of the blue. Then you know he'll do something reckless with a disregard for his own life.

As for the Book, ask yourself will you risk the chance that you will experience truths you might not be able to deny and accept the possible toll of sleep? Consider this carefully and weigh your gains and losses.

Or painful as this suggestion is, it might be that Dale is the only one to be able to read the book safely due to the brain leech. The poor guy might have to read it further himself.

Make your decisions, because the one hunting you is getting closer and the knowledge you gain might be time sensitive.

Perhaps now would be a bad time, but...would it? The ambulance is mobile at least, and it's not like there is anything to crash into out here. Perhaps Beth should crack open the book now.

I mean, if we wait for everyone to be suffering from sleep deprivation, things will only get worse. The book might even give us some insight into where to head next...I don't know. Vote on it?

>>544445
Let's do it. Flip to a random page-perhaps near the middle- and touch a flatworm see what you learn.

remind dale that all of you are in this together now and what happened isn't his fault. He did what he thought was right and you know what they say about hindsight, it's 20/20.

Also I say we read that damn book now cause I really don't think we'll ever truly have a good time to read it so we might as well get it over with while we actually have chance to read it before we have to fight off an army of eldrich horrors.

Dale's heart's in the right place, and even if he just defaulted to running, there's nothing cowardly about trying to draw a danger away from others. See what you can do to reassure him before steeling yourself to examine the book.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/17(Thu)20:02 No. 544535 ID: 5acad3
File 138206536313.jpg - (38.28KB , 600x409 , 298.jpg )

"Its okay Dale, we have no idea what that thing is capable of. We were in no condition to fight it, even if you had stayed, and no one could have guessed what it was planning. We have some time now, we need to find out more about it before we encounter it again. We should see if there's any information we can pull from the Book."

Toxoglossa 2013/10/17(Thu)20:03 No. 544536 ID: 5acad3
File 138206540508.jpg - (71.04KB , 577x600 , 299.jpg )

Dale hands you the Book of Worms and you turn to the first page. As your hand reaches for the surface, the resin melts and you start to read.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/17(Thu)20:04 No. 544537 ID: 5acad3
File 138206548735.jpg - (188.83KB , 600x2116 , page1.jpg )

You brace yourself as the wave of memories engulfs your senses.

Once again, you see a vision of darkness. A nightmare leviathan that was ancient long before the birth of light.

You see a point of light amidst the chaos; an impossibly fragile shell holding back the teeth of the behemoth. Inside lies a swirl of proto-matter, cooling as it fills the void with substance.

Echoing through the fledgling universe, a chorus of voices raised in harmony. They sing of loss, a refrain for those who could not escape the teeth of the predator-god. They have gambled much, and their song takes on an edge of desperate hope. There is work for them to do.

Around them gasses swirl, time flows, matter coalesces. Gravity, fusion, and heat forges new, robust elements in the hearts of stars. Each one, a vast ocean of flame and light, bundled by gravity into galaxies, strung into unfathomable glittering cosmic filaments.

You see a star, an accretion disk, planets, moons. The solar system cools and life explodes hungrily, erupting from fetid pools of slime into complexity and diversity. Before long it stands tall, surveying the world and looking to understand the meaning behind it. Life becomes community, community becomes society, society becomes empire.

You turn to the second page.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/17(Thu)20:05 No. 544538 ID: 5acad3
File 138206552348.jpg - (175.59KB , 600x1564 , page2.jpg )

You see a tower burning, the land around it a bowl of black-green glass. Its stone structure blasted apart by some great force, smoke pours from its many archways, and survivors scurry through its hallways.

Illuminated by flames, a creature stands amidst the ruin. Its body like something dredged up from a cthonic abyss. Its mind full of the violent thoughts of an alien carnivore: assessing, plotting, it thinks in tangled sine waves full extra dimensional information.

You witness a trio of luminous beings speaking in harmony. Refugee gods, resplendent and glorious, they speak with the arrogance of the divine.

A Titan looms out of the wreckage of the temple, lit by a scorching thunderbolt as it rears back. Its head is a horrifying arrangement of gaping jaws and its body, a length of dark segments, each one capable of birthing a nightmare given time.

A wave of unearthly noise washes over you, an explosion of dark noise that engulfs the desert in a wave of void.

You turn to the third page.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/17(Thu)20:06 No. 544539 ID: 5acad3
File 138206558970.jpg - (192.54KB , 600x2337 , page3.jpg )

Millennia passes and a figure digs amidst ruins in a barren desert. Dust pours off of the familiar form of the Book of Worms. Its cthonic binding crawling with leeches.

You see Dale, walking home from a class late at night, wondering where his professor has been. Behind him the shadows twist as the un-speaker readies himself to strike.

The smell of powdered bone and blood cuts through the reek of antiseptic and hotel room air conditioning. The violent bite of a hole saw screams through the air and bounces off of the low ceiling.

You see..

oh fuck,

not this,

not this,

not this.

not again.

>>544539
If it's being shown to you by the Book, it must be important.

You must accept knowledge if you decide to choose it. No matter how painful it is. That was your decision, are you going back on your word? Then do so but realize this, you're fighting not just for yourself but the lives of others. If you are weak in the face of what is coming, then you it is as surely your hands that will lead them to their annihilations. So choose now or forever hold your peace.

Be strong, Beth. It's past, and you faced it, endured it, once. And if you must face that which is past again to see a path in which we have a future, you'll do so.

if you can't face the past how will you stand against the future?

>>544539
You can do it beth, your friends are counting on you!

Wait...That Chorus, that created this world. Those three, that stood against the titan...
Would that not mean that there is a god? Or...Gods, apparently, but they are there. It sounds as if they are opposed to Radula, and the leviathan that he serves.

As an aside, the Professor found the book in a *desert* covered in leeches. Those leeches aren't normal. That means we can't get replacements, but also that they are likely gifts from the gods.

If not gods, then really powerful things with halos. They seemed more like angels to me. Not sure what that tapeworm thing was, but it may be related to the leeches? Radula's library burning simply cannot not be a good thing.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/18(Fri)19:44 No. 544643 ID: 5acad3
File 138215065840.jpg - (54.65KB , 600x588 , 300.jpg )

Your hand lingers.

You watch as, weeks ago, you sat in an uncomfortable chair, air conditioning prickling your skin and florescent light blinding your eyes as your mother died. You sat all night as, after years of watching her mind dissolve, her body finally fell apart.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/18(Fri)19:46 No. 544645 ID: 5acad3
File 138215081297.jpg - (31.06KB , 600x377 , 301.jpg )

You wished you had something to tell her but there is nothing left inside for you to say. Physically and emotionally drained, you listened to the EKG weakly tick away the last moments of her life.
Time stretching into an eternity dwarfing the 13 billion year prelude to this moment.

>>544542
>>544571
>>544543

You steel yourself and turn the page.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/18(Fri)19:47 No. 544646 ID: 5acad3
File 138215087058.jpg - (216.52KB , 600x2439 , page4.jpg )

You see Dale, standing lost in the desert clutching the Book to his chest. His eyes are dark and confused, trying to find a way to face another day without sleep.

Your ambulance lies on its side, window shattered by Radula's attack.

Todd, his cheerful face contorted into a blind fury. His eye a ruined socket dripping venomous ichor. His other eye is alien and hostile.

You see a frigid explosion tearing apart the magnetic rings of the MRI, A deafening shock wave of expanding helium.

You see the eyes of a dark horde, servants to the will of the Un-speaker, even now their search brings them closer to the Book.

There is only one page left.

>>544646
I believe the Book is showing what Must Happen. What we see in the future we should plan for, not to try to prevent it, but to work around and possibly even use to our advantage.

Read the page.

The future isn't meant for you to know.

>>544646
Read the future. Hopefully you can bend what you see there.

The book has three pages then, past present and ...

...maybe you shouldn't read the last page.

Keep going. Peer into the possible futures. It may show us a way out. Or failing that, if it shows us the path into darkness, we can use foreknowledge to try and fight it.

well we red the thing these far might as well see how it ends

OK, there are two ways this can end!

FIRST
>Beth reads the last page, discovers how the Cacophany is released, then gets nabbed by Radula, who gives the info back to the Cacophany.
BAD END

SECOND
>Beth reads the last page, discovers how the Cacophany is released, then gets nabbed by the Gods, who use the information to seal away the Cacophany forever.
GOOD END.

Aw, hell. Reading the future seems like we'd be taking a HUGE gamble here.
But if we don't have any better ideas, then keep going

>>544685
False choice. You left out a third option.

Beth finds out how the cacaphony is released, then our little group prevents it on their own.

>>544656
See, the problem with this idea is there are at least five pages mentioned, and the last couple are still the past, just more recent.

Well, there's always the option that reading the third page won't give us how it's released. Because Beth's mind won't be able to comprehend the infinite possibilities and discern which path is most likely.

There's probably a few good thousands of paths that lead to the release, many of them very different and similar.

Beth will probably get up to the present before it becomes nothing but white noise because she can't read it. At most she should read up to a day in the future, because the closer the time interval is, the less possibilities there are. Better reception, shapes take place in the white noise.
We shouldn't blow up her mind by trying to comprehend up to days, weeks, months, or even years worth of possibilities, because if the exponential formula isn't infinity*t^infinity*t or unknown constant^infinity*t or something similar, it's big enough to probably give her brain damage.

Radula with the book of worms might be able to use the book to pinpoint the exact pathway, but we have no idea how mortals can handle it if they can at all.

I mean, shit, Beth is probably going to see all those options happen at once if they're feasible and not impossible.

Beth, don't read the entirity of the next page if it goes into the future, stop reading as soon as your judgement dictates that you're going to get fucked six ways to sunday.

Uhhh, What was it Raddy grumbled about here? That this realm operates under the lie of causality? I don't think Beth here can withstand looking into the future without unpleasant consequences to her psych...

Toxoglossa 2013/10/19(Sat)14:34 No. 544722 ID: 5acad3
File 138221849492.jpg - (91.68KB , 600x1440 , page5.jpg )

You turn to the last page.

You see a symbol, carved open, flesh exposed, blood unstaunched.

Space starts to boil and tear. Blisters in existence rend themselves open.

The monstrosity unfolds with terrifying slowness, expanding to consume infinity. It is a nightmare rose blooming voraciously, an ocean of feeding frenzy, an orgy of teeth. Fractal carnivore; Mandelbrot mandibles tearing weeping holes in the heavens and rending atomic bonds into cosmic noise. The universe bruises, hemorrhages, bleeds into entropy, red-shifting as stars go dark and background radiation is engulfed by the maw of the anti-word.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/19(Sat)14:36 No. 544723 ID: 5acad3
File 138221858469.jpg - (24.46KB , 600x419 , 302.jpg )

Is this a memory of the future?

You can not accept it. You refuse to give up hope now.
Something has to change, there has to be a way.

Your mind drifts back to what Dale told you earlier today.

"Just trust yourself, not destiny..."

Toxoglossa 2013/10/19(Sat)14:36 No. 544724 ID: 5acad3
File 138221861142.jpg - (51.66KB , 600x483 , 303.jpg )

The present flows back and you realize someone is saying your name.

Dale
>"Be__? Y__ _k? W____ ___ _ee?"

"Yeah, I'm okay..... I think. I'm not sure what everything meant, but it showed me a lot. But if what I saw is true..."

Toxoglossa 2013/10/19(Sat)14:39 No. 544727 ID: 5acad3
File 138221878545.jpg - (28.53KB , 600x241 , 304.jpg )

"We have to rewrite fate."

the symbol, it's on dale's head. the end comes if he dies.

Okay. Cool. Now how? Did the future memory include anything between now and the apocalypse? Say, how it starts, or happens, or we lose? Ideally we'd want to avoid or change that stuff.

>>544727
That symbol carved open... that's the symbol on Dale's forehead. The trigger has to do with Dale.

Hmm. I wonder if you can move the flatworms around?

Since we don't have much to go on, I'm just going to guess that if Dale dies, we're all fucked.

Why the heck would the professor carve the very symbol that summons whatever demons who are after him into Dale's head?

>>544756
To make him a seal against the powers that are trying to get in? Suppose there can only be one door made by the symbol. Now that it is on his head. That Eater of Names has to get Dale in order to bring the end. However the trigger to open the door could be anything so the best thing is to keep him safe and away from Radula. After all Dale's been running constantly and it might not be just because to keep the book safe but to keep the door out of Radula's hands

>>544759
Radula needs to read The Book first.
Then Radula can know Dale is the Door.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/21(Mon)20:49 No. 544908 ID: 5acad3
File 138241378123.jpg - (44.08KB , 353x600 , 305.jpg )

>>544733
Now that's an interesting idea. Does the Book dictate the course of history, or merely record it? And what would happen if you were to edit it? Is that even possible?

You open to the middle of the Book and try to manipulate a flatworm at random.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/21(Mon)20:50 No. 544909 ID: 5acad3
File 138241383849.jpg - (37.41KB , 435x600 , 306.jpg )

As you try and move the worm it flexes briefly under your finger before throwing you back into a vision of the past. You see one of the three ancient deities addressing a small group of people. The experience is slightly distorted however, making it hard to tell exactly what is happening. The planaria refuses to budge from its spot, and as you relax your touch the vision snaps back into focus.

???
--_-=+rrangement is agreed upon, we will no longer interfere directly in the lives of those on this planet. We shall entrust further care of the world to you and your people, as we have already placed your existence in enough danger through our actions. It seems would be better to leave things in the hands of causality.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/21(Mon)20:50 No. 544910 ID: 5acad3
File 138241385297.jpg - (32.73KB , 249x600 , 307.jpg )

You break contact with the Book and return to the ambulance, your experiment didn't seem to create any kind of lasting change. Still, you feel like you may be able to find way to change the Book permanently. It seems like a more solid plan than just blindly attempting to derail the future.

I can't help but feel like one of those outlines are familiar. Maybe it's nothing, but Beth, do you know anyone of those people?

>>544910
Move the pages instead? Remove the page that details the Cacaphony? Or... ADD pages somehow, past the final page? If you can add pages past the Cacaphony's page then it would mean time continues past that point, which might cause the Cacaphony to be impossible to complete its task. Check the binding- are the pages glued in? Glue can be removed and reapplied... See if you can cut a page. Just try the edge of a page at first, so you don't risk damaging the Book's structure. If you successfully remove a piece of the page, see if you can just put it back in again.

Wasn't that a new vision? Maybe you can discover how to contact the gods, and ask them how to manipulate the Book.

Hmm. If leeches can eat mind-venom and apparently gain unnatural longevity from attempting to eat the book's cover, I wonder what would happen if we put a worm in there?

Back to the theory about worms storing memories chemically. If we want to edit the book, we could try to insert a neuro-chemical agent into the book; something that could affect the worms, but not any of our protagonist.

Move ahead in the book, and try poking other leeches. We need to find events in our near future. Something we can change, to derail the process.

>>544981
This.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/23(Wed)17:11 No. 545101 ID: 5acad3
File 138257349636.jpg - (58.50KB , 600x559 , 308.jpg )

>>544916
>>544930
"Dale, do you still have any of those leeches left?"

Dale nods that he does and fishes it out of his bag, indicating that this is his last one.

Dale
>"Ye__, I H_ve __ly o__ l_ft, W_y?"

"The Book showed me the future, one where some kind of nightmare wakes up and eats the whole universe. If this thing is written using the same stuff that's turning people into psychos, then maybe we can use the leeches to edit or erase it."

Dale
>"A__, __u th___ __at w__ld d_ ...wh_t?"

"I'm not sure. The Book is obviously important in all of this, and maybe we can use it to change the way the future will play out. Or maybe we can affect that creature directly using it. But..."

Toxoglossa 2013/10/23(Wed)17:11 No. 545102 ID: 5acad3
File 138257351816.jpg - (41.38KB , 517x600 , 309.jpg )

"what if using a leech erases the future? Would that be any better? What if it does nothing at all? What if it using a leech means we can't use it later when someone gets attacked?"

You're less sure about this than you were a minute ago. Suddenly having the ability to toy with all of causality is not a responsibility you expected to carry when you woke up this morning.

You can't assume the leech can eat the whole book.

Whether or not you use the leech, you need to find a potential target for alteration. Do this >>544981, and once we've found our moment, we can make the call as to try and change the event 'manually' or by applying leech to book.

>>545102
I'd like to have Mary to study it before we do anything with it. Determine its genus or something and its likely source.

Or you can try reading the book again for information about the leeches too, I guess. It might have information about that.

These beings seem to come from a place outside of what we call time. To them everything that has ever happened and ever will happen is all happening at once.

That means that Causality probably confuses them and while they are here they seem to be stuck playing by its rules. That means that there has to be a cause to the event that lets them in. That means if you can stop that event then they might not ever be able to do what they want.

Also the book is the key to this somehow. You might not be able to destroy it but altering it or changing it somehow might be viable. If you are going to change a event it has to be one of the biggest.

Heck if you could make them remember they were all happy tree hugging hippies since the dawn of creation it might fix the problem. That or make them remember they were defeated utterly.

Probably best to wait for the moment and save that leech.

Let's see, erased, versus being devoured by giant mouthhtuoms. I think you can safely turn Tiamat loose without reservation.

You don't feel comfortable with power over causality? Destroy the book! Then nobody will!

You saw like, God saying he was skipping out so as not to have power over causality. Wouldn't you want to do what Jesus did?

Well, you heard the gods themselves say they were willing to have faith in causality. Maybe we should continue along those lines and just investigate the details of how the Cacaphony is released. Perhaps we can avoid it by making it impossible for it to happen.

Maybe the Book just shows possibilities? Perhaps you can find an event in the near future that seems easily avoidable, and try to avoid it. Then you would know for sure if the Book's events are set in stone.

Any chance of us using the book to locate the doctor's fate in all of this? I still think finding him would be of great benefit.

He surely knows more than we do at this point, if he's still alive.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/25(Fri)18:25 No. 545326 ID: 5acad3
File 138275072903.jpg - (47.59KB , 524x600 , 310.jpg )

You decide to see if you can narrow down any particular event in the future which you can work to avoid. You search the recent past until... Yep, that looks like the present.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/25(Fri)18:25 No. 545327 ID: 5acad3
File 138275074705.jpg - (63.63KB , 407x600 , 311.jpg )

Nowwwwwwwwooooaaaaaahhhh

Wwwwwwwhhaaaaaatttt
tttthhheeee
hhhhhhhhhhhellllllllllllllllllll??????????

Toxoglossa 2013/10/25(Fri)18:26 No. 545328 ID: 5acad3
File 138275078583.jpg - (115.19KB , 600x600 , 312.jpg )

The Book pulls back and you see the ambulance from the outside, which explodes into a complex branching structure. It twists and expands like coral in fast forward, further expanding into braiding paths you take to represent people. Billions of possible universes unfolding second by second, each one spiraling back into a singularity-like object.

Good God. Is this what the world looks like to that monster? You've never seen anything so alien in your life.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/25(Fri)18:26 No. 545329 ID: 5acad3
File 138275081229.jpg - (45.59KB , 600x526 , 313.jpg )

You're pulled forward in time, approaching some sort of event horizon moment just before the Awakening. Possibilities stripped away, you find yourself, Radula, and Dale frozen in an instant before the end. After that, the book shows only some kind of void, before the nightmare begins.

give dale a helmet.

Yup helmet time for Dale.

>>545329
So, the end is triggered by Radula spearing Dale. Okay, let's get Dale a helmet.

That void at the end... seems out of place. I wonder if the nightmare we see is not what it appears to be. Maybe it is a space in time where things are not yet written? Maybe we don't need to mess with the book. Maybe we just need to win the fight against Radula in that final confrontation. I think you need to prepare yourself as much as possible, Beth. Become the thing that spells Radula's doom.

How did you know he saw the future like that, anyway?

That void at the end might be room for a new future to be created if you stop him from getting Dale.

If you fail then the void vanishes and they eat everything. But if Radula fails then I am guessing that void will expand to become the new future.

The monster probably doesn't see the world that way, or he'd be too busy tripping out to function. When you found the present you viewed yourself viewing yourself. Like holding a microphone next to its speaker.

But can you go back to that for a second? There's got to be some paths that escape the singularity, and that might be the only way to see them. You do not want to get Dale a helmet, only to have him lose the helmet at a critical moment when Radula strikes as you attempt to block the stinger with your gauntlet. Look for one that orbits it or spirals further away from it. All it takes is sufficient velocity, as long as you don't pass the event horizon into the void.

>>545329
ok but what if getting speared causes more of a sort of
overload or something?
and dale just gets turned into the eldritch antichrist or some shit? It is likely, least to me, that the void is being produced by DALE HIMSELF there, meaning he is super significant here.
Try tracing back about a day or so, we gotta figure out the context before we try to divert ANYTHING. Time manipulation is tricky like that.

What's critical here, though? Is there information Dale has Radula needs? Or some action he needs Dale to take? Or is it that Dale somehow stands in the way, and his removal is important to the undoing?

...kind of reluctant to discuss that directly with Dale. Last thing we want to let him do is think killing himself might help the situation.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/28(Mon)19:33 No. 545734 ID: 5acad3
File 138301401566.jpg - (62.11KB , 600x585 , 314.jpg )

God, its like having a whole body migraine looking at that mess. You feel someone shaking you by your shoulder and are drawn back to the present again. Your eyes readjust, and Dr. Slate's concerned face swims into focus.

Dr. Slate
>"B__h, __e y__ o_ay? ___ase, ____ i_ _ r__t, w_o kno__ wha_ ki__ o_ ___ects th_t ___k _ight _ave."

"Wait, its okay. I'm fine, Mary. I don't have the best picture of whats going on, but I'll try and explain what it showed me. From what it looks like, if anything happens to Dale, then the universe ends. There's a point in time that everything seems to be headed towards, and I'm not sure if we can avoid it. But what if we find a way to change the Book, would that change our fate? We may need to find out more about the book itself."

"While I was looking through it, I saw someone finding it in the desert: an old guy in glasses with a goatee and muttonchops. Is that the professor you were talking about earlier Dale?"

Dale nods

"Any idea where he might be? He may know more about the Book than us."

Dale
>"W__n I _eft _im i_ s_unded _ike h_ _as go__g _o _uy _e ti__ t_ _scape. I __n't _ven kn__ _f __'s _till ali__. "

Toxoglossa 2013/10/28(Mon)19:34 No. 545735 ID: 5acad3
File 138301404065.jpg - (71.76KB , 600x545 , 315.jpg )

"We'll if anyone has answers, it-"

Whoa.
What was that?

Did something just hit us?

Toxoglossa 2013/10/28(Mon)19:34 No. 545736 ID: 5acad3
File 138301406267.jpg - (64.85KB , 600x533 , 316.jpg )

Awwww man, not the delivery van! Despite your initial panic, you're stung with outrage. WE USE THAT FOR OUTREACH PROGRAMS YOU BASTARDS.

Well there's the shotgun. The sheriff could shoot out a tire. Shotguns are good at that. The shotgun has beanbag rounds in it right now though. If it weren't for that windshield in the way he could take out the driver with it. Maybe. The envenomed are pretty tenacious.

put a few rounds in the radiator, engine will quickly overheat and seize up.

so if you just slammed on the brakes of the ambulance what do you think the odds would be that you'd damage the van's engine enough for you to outrun these guys?

>>545740
This. Easier than hitting a tyre while moving.

>>545736
Hand the shotgun to Jeff!
Tell him to shoot through the rear-window glass, it's unsafe to open the doors!

>>545799
I think Jeff is driving the ambulance, so that leaves Sheriff Lynwood as the best choice to take the shot.

Unfortunately I don't think the ambulance is going to be able to accelerate faster than the van. That means the van is going to be glued to our bumper and there won't be an angle to shoot the radiator from the rear windows. However, we can take the shot through the rear doors.

The rear doors are only sheet metal with some insulation. A point-blank buckshot round'll blow right through them. And with the van pressed right against the ambulance the shot'll easily travel right through its grille and hood and puncture its radiator. And even if it doesn't Lynwood can still take another shot through the new hole in the door.

In this desert heat and straining against a braking ambulance that van's engine'll overheat and seize in no time. And as an added bonus the ruptured radiator will throw a cloud of steam up, blocking the driver's vision. So they'll have to break off either way.

Have Lynwood load a buckshot shell into the shotgun, then lay prone on the floor and put the shotgun muzzle against the lower rear door. But before he shoots make sure to plug his ears up with cotton balls and tape thick gauze over them so his ear drums don't get blown out by the shotgun blast. The driver'll need ear protection taped on as well. Everybody else gets cotton balls for when they cover their ears.

>>545845

Agree with this but if there have some cloth or something that they could wrap near the end of the barrel because there will be small shards of metal flying loose, we want to minimize those.

>>545741
This is actually a really workable idea. Automobiles are designed in such a way that they will run just fine with damage to the rear. However, any significant damage to the front end disables the vehicle BY DESIGN. Even if the engine would still theoretically operate, there are crumple sensors made to cut out the barely-contained-explosion-motor if they get tripped. It's a safety feature.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/30(Wed)16:27 No. 546008 ID: 5acad3
File 138317567514.jpg - (84.12KB , 600x584 , 317.jpg )

As the van accelerates Jeff slams on the brakes, crumpling the bumper and accordioning the hood. The sudden change in velocity hurls Todd forward and then backwards across the ambulance, slamming into the rear doors and knocking them open. Only a desperate grab by Dale keeps him from tumbling onto the highway. Todd dangles on the edge of the cabin, Dale hanging on with one hand.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/30(Wed)16:28 No. 546010 ID: 5acad3
File 138317569136.jpg - (40.94KB , 420x600 , 318.jpg )

Rather than allow the ambulance to crush the engine entirely, the van swerves into the incoming lane and its side door slides open.

Toxoglossa 2013/10/30(Wed)16:28 No. 546011 ID: 5acad3
File 138317573150.jpg - (54.16KB , 600x470 , 319.jpg )

The driver quickly pulls up along side and a grim faced minion in a police uniform grabs for a handhold on the open ambulance door. Behind him half a dozen shadowy figures wait to follow him.

wiggle! and someone get out the gun!

>>546011

SERPENTINE!

And start opening fire with that shotgun! Knock them off!

Dale probably won't be able to hold Todd if you do too much swerving right now. Beth or Lynwood needs to do some shot-gunning NOW.

>>546011
Shotgun, aim for the guy's grip on the door.

if you guys can't get to the shot gun you could just throw heavy crap at them, ambulances have air tanks right? hit someone with one of those and they'll feel it. Or if you think Dale can hold on to Todd brake again to let these guys pass you and then hit them with a pit maneuver and while they're spinning out drive off.

the being controlling them wants us dead, the book in their position, plus several other degrees of 'not good for us'. if you use that gun, unless we have the immediate means to cure the people coming at us ,you'd better be aiming for the face.

If Radula gets the book they'll wish they were shot in the face.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/01(Fri)22:16 No. 546315 ID: 5acad3
File 138336941248.jpg - (44.02KB , 600x317 , 320.jpg )

Jeff swings the ambulance sharply to the left and cuts off the pursuing van. Todd's wheelchair slips out of the cabin and comes apart as it bounces down the highway.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/01(Fri)22:17 No. 546316 ID: 5acad3
File 138336944860.jpg - (57.38KB , 433x600 , 321.jpg )

Fortunately Dale was able to hang onto Todd, and drags him away from the door. Meanwhile, unable to get a clear shot at anything, Lynwood passes the shotgun to you rather than risk the friendly fire.

You realize you've never even held a gun before and it sits in your hands uncomfortable and heavy. Shit, you're not really sure how to shoot one.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/01(Fri)22:17 No. 546317 ID: 5acad3
File 138336945813.jpg - (65.41KB , 508x600 , 322.jpg )

SHIT, YOU GUESS YOU BETTER LEARN FAST.

Aim at center mass! Less chance of missing that way.

Press the stock firmly into your dominant shoulder and aim down the barrel.

Aim for the middle of his chest.

Point at center of mass, pull the trigger, and then kick him out for good measure in case he ignores the shock of being hit point blank with a shotgun.

>>546320

In case shotgun goes *click*, pull back slide all the way and push forward all the way to load a shell.

press the butt of the gun (the wood looking part) firmly against your shoulder and aim up the sights so they're even. once they look even enough (you're practically point blank anyways, it would be hard to miss) pull the trigger. If all else fails the gun still makes a good club.

>>546317
Are you close enough to just kick him out? If not, just point it in his general direction and pull the trigger before he can shoot back.

First, take your finger off of the trigger. Beneath your right hand is a part that slides. Side it all the way back, then ask the way forward again. If something flies out the side, don't worry, you can pick it up later. Then point the gun towards the controlled guy, and pull the trigger. The gun will jump backward hard, but don't worry; if you do drop it, you can pick it up.

What kind/brand of shotgun is this? If we want them to survive, and assuming that Beth knows absolutely nothing about this gun, we need to know where everything is on this gun.

>>546386
Literally the only controls on a typical police shotgun are the trigger and pump. They're deliberately generic for this exact reason.

>>545105

Just aim at his chest and pull the trigger. Lynwood surely was prepared to fire it before he handed it to you. You shouldn't need to do anything special.

If you miss point blank, everyone will laugh at you. No pressure.

The universe will end, also.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/03(Sun)19:38 No. 546564 ID: 5acad3
File 138353633487.jpg - (30.79KB , 600x401 , 323.jpg )

>>546319
So, like th-

Toxoglossa 2013/11/03(Sun)19:39 No. 546565 ID: 5acad3
File 138353639071.jpg - (59.97KB , 540x600 , 324.jpg )

-WOAH FUCK!

You stuffed cotton balls in your ears earlier to keep them from getting infected, but it feels like they just got driven an inch into your head by the blast.

You're thrown onto your ass by the force of the recoil and feel like someone hit you in the shoulder with a sledgehammer. As much as it hurts, you're glad you figured out to use your right shoulder, your left probably couldn't handle an impact of that caliber right now.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/03(Sun)19:40 No. 546566 ID: 5acad3
File 138353640104.jpg - (58.51KB , 600x494 , 325.jpg )

The possessed cop is lifted off of his feet and carried out of the ambulance by the projectile-

Toxoglossa 2013/11/03(Sun)19:40 No. 546567 ID: 5acad3
File 138353641471.jpg - (80.08KB , 600x445 , 326.jpg )

and lands heavily on the pursuers windshield, which spiderwebs into a thousand shards.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/03(Sun)19:40 No. 546568 ID: 5acad3
File 138353645784.jpg - (42.75KB , 600x336 , 327.jpg )

Unable to see, the van loses control and drifts off of the road, and slams into a boulder.

Oh God, did you just kill that guy?

Toxoglossa 2013/11/03(Sun)19:41 No. 546569 ID: 5acad3
File 138353648333.jpg - (16.39KB , 600x233 , 328.jpg )

As the wreck disappears into the distance, the injured cop drags himself out of the dirt. Even with his body beaten to hell, half flayed by glass and road rash, he still tries to get up and chase you.

You're not sure what you're more horrified by, how you nearly killed someone or how it hardly seemed to slow him down.

>>546569
Did he manage to fire his gun? Look around to see if anyone's got a gunshot wound. Also, close the doors. If the running cop is actually catching up, tell Jeff to speed up!

He has Radula's venom in his veins. To say he's alive is something of a misnomer. Animate might be more appropriate. You can't kill anyone who has tasted the venom. You shouldn't even be able to recover their minds and free them from Radula's control, but the leeches somehow managed to do that. Or at least, you're pretty sure they do. Radula would have to be pretty crazy to go through such lengths to lose the book as having one of his own minions run away with it.

...and we have to deal with a army of these things... Well I'm not seeing to many good times ahead.

How far away are we from our destination by the way?

man i hate to be this guy but PHYSICS: a 1/10th of a lb bullet hits a 160 lb man and sends him back at least 4 feet. even if the bullet did have enough momentum to do that it would just go through him instead.
in other news you might want to get moving again, gather up all your things and people and floor it, maybe shoot out the tires of the other car if it seems convenient

Beanbag rounds, remember? Plus, the cop was probably wearing body armor. He was standing on the edge of a moving vehicle. When he was pushed off, he continued moving at the velocity of the vehicle, plus the velocity imparted by the round, which, judging by Beth's kick-back, was nothing to sneeze at. It work.

Shut the doors, tell Jeff to gun it, and make sure everyone's still in one piece. You probably don't need to go to the police station; make for the Mesa ASAP.

>>546637
It's a shotgun, bro. That means it fires shot, not bullets. Much better for conveying force, because it's distributed across hundreds of little pellets, unless the shotgun was loaded with a beanbag round, like >>546655 said, in which case it still works. Pretty sure that was a standard cartridge, though.

Whoo! That was pretty intense. Remember, this is all justified, because we're holding back the mass death of everything ever.

Guys it's movie physics, don't think about it too hard.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/06(Wed)20:39 No. 546935 ID: 5acad3
File 138379918233.jpg - (51.87KB , 600x464 , 329.jpg )

You pass the shotgun back up to sheriff Lynwood, telling him that you were just attacked by someone in a police uniform.

If dispatch isn't responding, its possible that the rest of the sheriffs department has been attacked by now. Going to the police station could mean walking right into a trap by now.

He nods in agreement and tells you the exit into town is coming up on the right, keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead with a concerned expression on his face.

After a minute He asks whether the cop you shot was dead or not... you tell him that it looked like he was still alive, and possibly still hunting the book, although on foot. He says nothing, instead holding the shotgun in his lap and frowning. Lynwood takes a handful of buckshot shells out of his pocket, weighing whether or not to reload the gun with them or not.

hold off for now with the buck shells... I mean if you really need them when you open the breach to eject the shell you could just slip a buck shoot in before the beanbag shell can slid up into the chamber.

the op is still alive but in what state? if the infection is removed they could die instantly, the illness being the only thing holding their body together.

>>546935
Stick with beanbags for now.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/11(Mon)21:15 No. 547694 ID: 5acad3
File 138423331357.jpg - (46.95KB , 600x432 , 330.jpg )

Not yet ready to swap to buckshot, you tell the Sheriff to stick with the beanbag rounds for now. He leaves a spot in the chamber ready to receive a lethal round if necessary.

>>546655
Rather than drive blindly into danger, you decide avoiding the police station is the best course of action for now. You ask Jeff to drive past the exit and head straight towards the reservation.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/11(Mon)21:15 No. 547695 ID: 5acad3
File 138423335026.jpg - (27.56KB , 600x265 , 331.jpg )

As the sun starts to fade, you pull onto a dusty one lane road taking you into the desert. Jostling on cracked asphalt and gravel, the Ambulance passes a wooden sign.

It reads:
>Now entering: Starry Mesa Reservation

Jeff drives slowly into a tight knit collection of homes: mostly modern preassembled houses, some mobile houses, and a few genuine adobe structures. New or old, the architecture has one thing in common: its simplicity, few homes are more than one or two rooms, and the largest structure appears to be a meeting hall of some sort.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/11(Mon)21:16 No. 547696 ID: 5acad3
File 138423338298.jpg - (61.27KB , 600x595 , 332.jpg )

The ambulance pulls to a halt in front of a small grey building. Standing in front of the front door is a taller, more muscular version of Jeff wearing a tank top, cargo pants and a frustrated expression.

???
>"Jeffery."
>"You want to bring your friends inside and explain just what the hell you've been up to?"

well introduce yourselfs and ask how he would react if we told him that we have the apocalipes on our heals and there's going to be on hell of a fire coming soon.

>>547695
and doesn't these place just scream last stand?

>>547696
Huh, Beth can hear again?

Let Jeff explain himself at first but if it seems like he's gonna keep going for a while interrupt and say you don't have much time. You need to organize the town to take shelter in the most fortified location possible. EVERYONE must be secure for us to survive. If possible we'd also like a phone line to see if we can contact the government and report what's happening. They might have the tools to find the professor, though we would want them to stay out of the city proper. Maybe set up a perimeter and keep Radula and the envenomed contained.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/13(Wed)19:38 No. 547973 ID: 5acad3
File 138440032591.jpg - (54.13KB , 600x425 , 333.jpg )

You are now Dale

You're sore, exhausted, and still kind of angry and embarrassed with yourself for trying to commit suicide. You realize, however, that in your current state, you aren't always exhibiting the best judgement. You've Resolved never to let yourself be tempted like that again.

That being said, you are still fucking tired

Everyone climbs out of the ambulance and files into the building, which quickly fills up as people make room in the limited space. Introductions go around, and Jeff's dad nods in acknowledgement, introducing himself as-

>"Joshua Chee."
>"So, Jeff, first I hear about you ditching work to 'hunt zombies', then you call from the hospital talking nonsense about worms, and then you show up here with a bunch of strangers in an ambulance? "

Jeff doesn't answer at first, clearly worried that his dad is disappointed with him.

Jeff
>"Sorry dad. Its just... well, there really were zombies... sorta. And its just that... I dunno, people were in danger and I just wanted to help out. And now there's a whole bunch of zombies, and I thought this place is so far out of the way, it was the safest place I could think of."

Toxoglossa 2013/11/13(Wed)19:39 No. 547974 ID: 5acad3
File 138440037135.jpg - (33.30KB , 361x600 , 334.jpg )

To your surprise, the Sheriff speaks up.
>"Hes telling the truth, Mr. Chee, and he's already saved us once today. We were attacked by something, and we think the town has already been compromised, but it probably hasn't made it out here yet. Honestly, its probably only a matter of time before the reservation comes under siege and we need to get this place secure before that happens.
>"Is there a phone I can use anywhere? I need to call this in,and see if I can get a cordon up around the town, or at least get us some backup."

Joshua indicates that there's a phone in the community center around the corner, and Lynwood heads over to try to call in some reinforcements.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/13(Wed)19:40 No. 547975 ID: 5acad3
File 138440040242.jpg - (40.42KB , 452x600 , 335.jpg )

Joshua gives his son a concerned glare...
>"You know I'm sick of hearing about you getting in trouble at work, I know I raised you to be more sensible than that-"

he exhales heavily and his expression relaxes
>"- but I'm glad you're okay. You've always put helping others before yourself, you know I've always been proud of that. I know how dead set you are on enlisting; running off and putting yourself in danger isn't how to convince me you're ready.

Jeff
>"Dad, this isn't about-"

Joshua stops him.
>"- and this isn't the time. We'll talk about it later."

He nods at you and Todd.
>"Listen, we don't have much, but if you guys need to borrow something to wear, you can change in the next room while everyone fills me in on what's been happening."

Toxoglossa 2013/11/13(Wed)19:40 No. 547976 ID: 5acad3
File 138440043588.jpg - (38.37KB , 600x594 , 336.jpg )

You help Todd onto your shoulder and half carry him into the adjoining room. With the sun going down both of you can feel the chill of the desert at night, and are happy to get some real clothing on.
Fortunately Jeff is about your size and you remember that you have a spare change of clothes in your satchel.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/13(Wed)19:40 No. 547978 ID: 5acad3
File 138440045517.jpg - (45.90KB , 600x547 , 337.jpg )

Todd looks like he might fit into something of Joshua's, but will probably need help with his messed up leg. Helping a near stranger who tried to kill you get dressed in a 16 year old's room a thousand miles from home is not exactly what you expected to do today, but Todd really appreciates it.

>>547978
Ask Todd if him and Beth are dating.

whaat 2013/11/14(Thu)01:25 No. 547994 ID: 6216b0
File 138442114303.png - (157.52KB , 600x594 , dalepaperdoll.png )

Dale Clarke? Isaac whateverdale'slastnameis?

Suggestion 2013/11/14(Thu)01:32 No. 547996 ID: c23ab0
File 138442155028.jpg - (107.56KB , 1200x1188 , stevetodd.jpg )

Did someone say paper doll dressup?

Theo 2013/11/14(Thu)05:18 No. 548003 ID: 097017
File 138443510016.jpg - (67.12KB , 792x719 , becauseWeAreLikeARainbowInTheDark.jpg )

As poster above, but this.

Hey, this is a native reservation, so expect hand-me-down rockmetal tee's from that time Rainbow's tour bus broke down in the next county over.

And I'm kinda curious cause I have like a half-milliounce of aboriginal blood in me... Whose reservation is this? Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, Apache, Ute, Yaqui, Tohono, Tewa?

Archivemod 2013/11/14(Thu)09:59 No. 548021 ID: e1609c
File 138445197120.png - (105.06KB , 304x300 , dothedew.png )

>>547976
Do the dew

Dirtbag 2013/11/14(Thu)16:57 No. 548104 ID: 57a559
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When asked, Joshua claims this extremely glittery shirt to be owned by one of his exes and left behind.
His excuse for the hearts on the pants? One of Jeff's friend's pranks with a bedazzler. He kept them around because they're very comfortable jeans.

This is not a joke submission, I really want Todd to wear this.

Dale, resist oogling Todd's swole pecs

>>547979
>>548003
fielded these in the ITQ thread for now

Suggestion 2013/11/17(Sun)17:24 No. 548777 ID: 7bbaae
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Tunnel snakes ruugghhh this was hard

LimeBreaker 2013/11/17(Sun)17:46 No. 548786 ID: 5a5dd4
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Boring but serviceable.

Suggestion 2013/11/18(Mon)13:33 No. 548907 ID: 4a20fa
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Gotta be shirt, jeans, and a duster, which is conveniently split up the back and everything. And something to keep the sun off the head and horrifying trepanation scar under the brim.

Can't sodding draw this week, apparently.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/20(Wed)18:29 No. 549337 ID: 5acad3
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After a quick rummage, both of you manage to put together something to wear out of the family's limited wardrobe.

Todd finds a pair of pants large enough to pull over his cast, ending up with one giant bunched up leg. He throws on a clean shirt and borrows a very worn jacket from over chair.

In Jeff's wardrobe you find a pair of dress pants with a distinctively secondhand wear to them, and a comfy DJ 5queak hoodie to replace the one you left at the hospital.

Once you're ready you rejoin the others in the kitchen.

Jeff
>"Oh, you're wearing those pants?"

Todd
>"What? Yeah, why?"

Toxoglossa 2013/11/20(Wed)18:29 No. 549338 ID: 5acad3
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Jeff
>"Its just that my sister kind of bedazzled them last time she came to visit."

Todd
>"What!? Awwwww, what the hell?"

Jeff
>"Whatever, rock 'em man."

As Todd shows off his new ass bling the tiny kitchen erupts into laughter, however in light of recent events, it has a volatile, manic edge to it.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/20(Wed)18:30 No. 549339 ID: 5acad3
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Finding emotional release, Mary finally breaks down; her choking laughter transitioning into gasping sobs. Tears streaming down her face, she manages to speak between gasps.

Mary
>"Oh.*gasp* God. *wheeze*. I'm....*wheeze*...gonna be *breathe* sick."

Beth, responding with the calm efficiency of an EMT, ushers her outside and you hear her throw up. The guys all look around with the stunned awkwardness of dudes witnessing an intense emotional display.

Toxoglossa 2013/11/20(Wed)18:31 No. 549340 ID: 5acad3
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Joshua, however, seems unfazed and has more questions for you.
>"Okay Dale, so from what they told me; There's some kind of monster who has mind controlled a bunch of people, and is out there hunting for this book that you're carrying right?"

Dale
"Yeah basically."

Joshua
>"And every time you fall asleep it finds you and tries to kill you."

Dale
"Yeah"

Joshua
>"So, that's the the first thing we have to deal with. Dale, how long do you think you can hold out before you fall asleep?"

Dale
"I dunno, a couple hours maybe?"

Joshua
>"Well that doesn't give us much time to prepare."

He sees the confusion on your face and continues
>"This is one of the oldest known methods of hunting: chase your prey all day and all night until one of you drops dead from exhaustion and frankly, you don't look like you can run for much longer. You are going to fall asleep, Dale, in my opinion the best thing we can do is prepare for when that happens."

>"Now, what do we know about this thing, and what can we do to fight it and what happens exactly when you fall asleep?"

well needless to say you'll know when you see it, trust me. From what we know it has a barbed tongue that is fulled with some kind of poison that lets it control people, the only way we've found to counter this is leaches, think we have one left.

As for what happens we sleep... we find ourselves in a giant library that seems to go on with no end. And whatever is chasing us always seems to know where to find us. It usually ends with it ripping us to bloody little shreds until we wake up. anything else you want to know?

>>549340
We need to shove a special leech into the wound to stop the mind control.

We don't have enough leeches for all the victims unfortunately. Do we finally have time to study them in depth? Because right now we're preparing for a fight and I've been hankering to take a look at the last one (I think we have at least one spare, we HAD more than two).

The monster exists in infinity, we think that's what's it's been saying when it does its taunts in Dale's dreams. It's also a crawfish I think? Anybody know quite a bit about crawfish and their biological weaknesses? I know Mary knew quite a bit. Like, if it was a snail, what would be a crawfish's salt?

It has a cuttlefish head, and it can see polarized light. In fact, everyone it envenoms gains that ability. This allows cured people- specifically, Dale, Todd, and Mary- to spot the envenomed or de-venomed by their eyes. An uncured envenomed person has cuttlefish-looking eyes. A cured person has black sclera- the whites of their eyes are black. I expect it is possible for polarized lenses to be used for the same purpose.

Dale should mention how he actually managed to injure the monster in his last dream. After such a dream, the monster seems to just appear out of nowhere.

Oh, and it doesn't show up on security cameras, right? Well, only Beth and Lynwood know that unfortunately, and they're out of the room at the moment.

Beth knows way more than you Dale. She needs to get in on this. She's actually read the book remember. In particular you can't recall her telling you about the anti-word, about gods talking about causality, or about a crazy monster eating the universe who is your actual foe, Radula being only its caretaker. So you can't warn Josh about any of those things. Beth could though. She's seen the shell that protects you from the jaws of the beast. She's seen the god Tiamat risen by power of the anti-word. She's heard the Chorus.

Beth, in short, is your only hope. She has to decide what to do. All you can pray is that she comes to the right conclusions from what she's seen.

Though a good start might be getting Josh to read the book. It doesn't take long and it means Beth dying isn't the end of the world (literally). Anyone who isn't venom'd should take a turn at it in fact, in case more information comes up or it makes the future less a matter of certain doom.

All you know is if and when your head hole breaks open, the rest of the universe gets et. And Radula is a dick.

Ask him if he has any Five Hour Energy around. Hours of energy now, no crash later.

I just realized... Radula only shows up after Dale wakes up.

Be sure to mention ammo/weapons. That's an essential. We need to prepare for when/if they find us. To me this feels more like a when.

Also, should we tell the entire Mesa? Doesn't look like we can do this on our own.

>>549340
the thing itself can be hurt and killed like any living thing, but it has many abilities which we should be scared of.

it can become half invisible (maybe thermal vision will counter it?)
it can mind control people by stabbing them with its tongue and poisoning them. the only cure is leeches to the head, which we don't have many of. when it comes it will come with an army of the controlled. they can act as they did in life, the only sure way to detect it is when someone who was cured sees their eyes they look weird as fuck.
it also has some sight into the future but that becomes weaker with time. though maybe when dale will go to sleep it refreshes it and that's how it finds him?

anyhow when dale does fall asleep he is transported into its world for a time for some reason, with unknown consequence and meaning.

To this monster, you light up like a bonfire. Like a moth to the flame he'll flutter on over here as fast as he can. Anyone can become a insanely loyal, impossibly determined zealot with a prick of the finger who'll pursue you far past the most extreme human limits.

Zombies, but with all the faculties they possessed in life. All it takes is a bite, and the effects are instant.

He knows things, he sees the world not in terms of how things are but everything they were up to this point and plenty of things they could become. He sees your past and sees in several directions into your future, depending on your choices. There is a giant endless consuming thing that will consume entirety if he gets his hands on this book. The only thing I know for certain is me and beth make it to a point before a final confrontation. I cant gaurentee than anyone else will make it that far to be honest. I'm actually afraid that the more people involved the worse this is going to be for us. I mean, everyone is just a crazed demoniac waiting to mob us from every direction. It's like the matrix; you cant trust the people you're trying to save around that thing.

Maybe we can take advantage of his polarized vision and finds some way to blind him but I don't expect to have anything like that nearby.

I say we artificially recreate the conditions of the final encounter and move this thing along as quickly as possible, or maybe fake him into thinking that we're alone in the town and suddenly spring on him; he can only really stab us one at a time. I don't want to sound like an ignorant white guy, but maybe there's leaders we can speak to--a spiritualist, maybe? Is there a way to get in touch with the rest of your Nation?