Carpathia IV: Episode 177 - Spelunking
NCCS Shadowdancer-A
En route to the next mission, the senior officers had a chance to continue their game of Adventure Time. For once, their previous mission concluded without any strange shenanigans, keeping the report writing mercifully brief and nobody wanted to let this extra free time pass without a get-together.
On the board, the little hologram characters stood outside a cave entrance peering into the inky blackness. The tokki character inched forward and held his torch inside, but it didn't do much good. Deep cave that started twisting almost immediately and nobody could see past the first turn.
Minnie: It seemed like an easy enough mission when we accepted, but I'm not so sure.
Ramei: Clear out the cave, they said. Easy monsters, they said. I hope that last part is right.
Tamati: Nothing at the entrance. Shall we go in?
Trex: May as well. I'll jump up on the ceiling and go up there.
At Trex's command, the bat character leaped onto the ceiling of the cave and began to skitter inside.
Teren: I'll go in next.
Tamati: I think we'll all go in.
The rest of the figures entered the cave, torches in hand, and the tabletop shifted to an interior view.
Joust: Your group enters carefully, peering around each corner to make sure it's safe. The cave air is dry, as are the floors and ceilings. Little vegetation grows on the walls. The ground is not smooth, full of loose rocks and gravel. The ceiling is full of wide cracks, big enough to get your entire fist inside and run deep.
Aside from the bat, the characters wobbled as they traversed the uneven terrain, slipping and sliding on the loose rocks. All the while, they looked for the monsters they were supposed to clear out. Easy monsters, according to the advertisement, though none seemed keen to show themselves.
Ramei: I think that ad was bullshit.
Minnie: I think you might be right.
Tamati: Could be a trap. Should we turn back?
Teren: Awfully long lead time for a trap. I say we continue, but carefully.
Ramei: I'm in.
Trex: Nothing to lose but our heads, right?
Tamati: Nalma, you've been awfully quiet. What do you think?
All eyes turned to Nalma, who, for the first time in awhile, lifted his head, as he had been looking down at the table in silence most of the time.
Nalma: Am I a bad person?
All eyes now turned into various expressions of befuddlement and Nalma continued before anyone could say anything.
Nalma: I used to be. When I was a teenager, I had a pack of friends and we would run around doing whatever we wanted and didn't care how it affected anyone else. There was one incident in particular, when I was 17, that made me decide to change everything.
Ramei: What happened?
Nalma turned his head away and back down to the table.
Nalma: I'd rather not say. I think about the things I did and the way I was every day. I don't want to go back to that.
Minnie: Every day?
Tamati: That crosses a line from penance to self-flagellation.
Ramei: Have you talked to anyone about this? Maybe a counsellor?
Nalma: No! Don't really do psychiatry on Tokkastra except for serious mental illness. It's a sign of weakness.
The others were taken aback momentarily at Nalma's emphatic response until Minnie got the conversation back on track.
Minnie: I think you should give it a try. If it makes you feel any better, I did some really dumb stuff when I was a teenager.
Ramei: Me too. I still remember when I threw snowballs at passing cars until one guy slammed on his brakes, jumped out, and chased me all the way back to my house.
I built a device and hid it under the teacher's chair. It moved her chair every time she tried to sit down.
Teren: I farted up the elevator at my condo every time I got on when I was that age.
All eyes turned to Teren in silence, awaiting more information.
Ramei: Seriously?
Teren: I was a kid too, you know.
Nalma: I appreciate that you're trying to make me feel better, but I actually hurt people, like in those extreme pranking videos. The last one... wasn't even a prank but he got hurt the worst and I just ran away.
Minnie: For what it's worth, you are a good person, but I still think you need counselling.
Nalma: Well...
Nalma's voice trailed off while, so engrossed everyone was in the conversation, they didn't notice that their little characters on the board were still doing their best to navigate the cave.
Joust: As you traverse the uneven ground, you begin to hear noises from inside the walls and ceiling.
Tamati: Oh, right! We're still playing.
Ramei: What should we do? Be on guard at least. I'll get out my knives.
The tokki character on the board took out a pair of knives.
Teren: We should all arm ourselves.
The demon warrior on the board took out his sword and, as the rest nodded in agreement, the other characters took out their weapons, save for the komodo, who only had a bag of potions and potion ingredients.
Joust: The shuffling noises become louder, even when you're not moving forward.
Teren: They're coming toward us. We should stand our ground here. Either we fight or they pass us by.
They did not pass by. On the holographic tabletop, a swarm of little slime creatures, each about 20cm wide, exploded through a crack in the ceiling, knocking the bat to the ground. Unexpectedly, the swarm did not lash out and attack the others, but continued harassing the bat.
Trex: Oi! I'm just a merchant! I don't have anything to fight against this!
Teren: We have to act fast. I'll attack with my sword and hope I don't hit her.
Joust: Roll for deftness.
Teren picked up the dice and tossed it immediately.
Joust: 13. You swing your sword and clear out some of the slimes and nick the bat a little in the process.
The demon on the board did as Joust said and, at the end, there were still plenty of slimes covering the struggling bat. The rest quickly agreed to help and took turns rolling, coming out with varying degrees of okay numbers. Nothing spectacular or devastating. The thief attacked with his knives, the tokki kicked, the black mage cast spells, and the potion master doused the slimes. Eventually, they did manage to clear the mess, but the bat was not moving.
Joust: HP zero. He's dead, Trex.
Ramei: Damn, Adventure Master, you are savage. I thought the bat would be the safest of everyone. No special treatment for your own, is there?
Joust: What happens, happens. I just work off the algorithm.
Minnie: An algorithm you made.
Joust: Would you like to create a new character, Trex?
Trex: Looks like I haven't got a choice. I'll work out a new sheet for next session.
Bridge, NCCS Shadowdancer, The Next Day
Teek: Approaching planet P3X-2, Captain.
Aire: We'll have to give this planet a proper name if it's as promising as it appears. Take us to induction and set up for standard orbit.
Teek: Slowing to induction and preparing for standard orbit, Captain.
Aire: Kit, summon Darius, Mikado, and Tuomas to the bridge.
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
Falke2009
