Over the Edge: Session Two, Part One
I'm sick today, and this post is an effort to salvage something of a day that has been lost and wasted so far.
With some help from Dave, the four agents wrestle the Crimson Chamber out of Dave's van and into an upright position in the middle of the garage. They hear a wet thunk from within the device, and they all take a few steps back. It begins to rock back and forth, and they hear scraping and grinding noises from within. The top of the device opens, and a long, thin insect leg emerges. Dave hides in a corner while the four agents brace themselves for another fight.
The thing erupts out of the top of the device and leaps down to the floor. It has the abdomen, thorax, and back legs of a massive insect. Where its head should be, there is a chitin-covered human-like torso and head. The eyes, though, are still distinctly human. A psychic scream tears at the agents' minds. Iordain's experience with telepathy allows her to deflect much of the shock. The spirits that haunt Frank protect him somewhat. Virgil has suffered worse psychic trauma than this in his otherworldly travels. And Dakota? Dakota completely loses control and flies into a berserk rage.
Virgil slips between the worlds, bringing his sword with him, so that the creature's carapace is no hindrance. Suffering from the psychic trauma of the creature's scream, though, Virgil is unable to keep up with it as it skitters back. Iordain delves into Virgil's mind, setting right the things that the creature's attack unbalanced. Her efforts are costly, though, and she has had no time to recover from earlier exertions.
Frank takes this opportunity to photograph the monstrosity, though he has a hard time lining up a shot and only gets one really good picture. Still, that's about all he needs, and he starts raiding the garage's shelves for interesting chemicals. His first plan is ammonia.
Dakota, meanwhile, seizes a wrench and hammers at its carapace. As his rage gathers, his attacks begin to slip past its massive pincers. The pincers snap down on his arm, but the wound closes up instantly, accomplishing nothing more than adding to his fury. It focuses additional psychic assaults against him, though, and these nearly bring him to unconsciousness.
Virgil suddenly remembers that he has seen something like this before. It is a Cirixian Horror, a beast that usually guards the temples of the strange Gods of Cirixa. He recalls those temples as rare places of sanctuary, though, and the horrors as typically docile... but also, they fear open flame, and Virgil shouts this out to his companions. While they work on some way to capitalize on that information, Virgil does everything he can to keep its attention, and his sword scores another hit.
Frank's jury-rigged ammonia bomb doesn't need to score a direct hit; the splash is enough, and the horror's chitinous shell is pitted and weakened. Iordain has no trouble finding a glass bottle, a rag, flammable oils, and her lighter (this, not this); she has a somewhat harder time lining up her throw, and the flames threaten Virgil just as much as they do the Horror.
Virgil finally lands a blow that nearly cuts the monster in half. It collapses to the ground, and its carapace recedes before their eyes, leaving only a naked human, apparently of Asian descent, dead from a gut wound. Dakota, though, can no longer tell friend from foe, and hurls himself at Virgil. The sword parries the wrench several times, until the madness finally fades from Dakota. He recalls nothing of the battle after the initial psychic assault.
With some help from Dave, the four agents wrestle the Crimson Chamber out of Dave's van and into an upright position in the middle of the garage. They hear a wet thunk from within the device, and they all take a few steps back. It begins to rock back and forth, and they hear scraping and grinding noises from within. The top of the device opens, and a long, thin insect leg emerges. Dave hides in a corner while the four agents brace themselves for another fight.
The thing erupts out of the top of the device and leaps down to the floor. It has the abdomen, thorax, and back legs of a massive insect. Where its head should be, there is a chitin-covered human-like torso and head. The eyes, though, are still distinctly human. A psychic scream tears at the agents' minds. Iordain's experience with telepathy allows her to deflect much of the shock. The spirits that haunt Frank protect him somewhat. Virgil has suffered worse psychic trauma than this in his otherworldly travels. And Dakota? Dakota completely loses control and flies into a berserk rage.
Virgil slips between the worlds, bringing his sword with him, so that the creature's carapace is no hindrance. Suffering from the psychic trauma of the creature's scream, though, Virgil is unable to keep up with it as it skitters back. Iordain delves into Virgil's mind, setting right the things that the creature's attack unbalanced. Her efforts are costly, though, and she has had no time to recover from earlier exertions.
Frank takes this opportunity to photograph the monstrosity, though he has a hard time lining up a shot and only gets one really good picture. Still, that's about all he needs, and he starts raiding the garage's shelves for interesting chemicals. His first plan is ammonia.
Dakota, meanwhile, seizes a wrench and hammers at its carapace. As his rage gathers, his attacks begin to slip past its massive pincers. The pincers snap down on his arm, but the wound closes up instantly, accomplishing nothing more than adding to his fury. It focuses additional psychic assaults against him, though, and these nearly bring him to unconsciousness.
Virgil suddenly remembers that he has seen something like this before. It is a Cirixian Horror, a beast that usually guards the temples of the strange Gods of Cirixa. He recalls those temples as rare places of sanctuary, though, and the horrors as typically docile... but also, they fear open flame, and Virgil shouts this out to his companions. While they work on some way to capitalize on that information, Virgil does everything he can to keep its attention, and his sword scores another hit.
Frank's jury-rigged ammonia bomb doesn't need to score a direct hit; the splash is enough, and the horror's chitinous shell is pitted and weakened. Iordain has no trouble finding a glass bottle, a rag, flammable oils, and her lighter (this, not this); she has a somewhat harder time lining up her throw, and the flames threaten Virgil just as much as they do the Horror.
Virgil finally lands a blow that nearly cuts the monster in half. It collapses to the ground, and its carapace recedes before their eyes, leaving only a naked human, apparently of Asian descent, dead from a gut wound. Dakota, though, can no longer tell friend from foe, and hurls himself at Virgil. The sword parries the wrench several times, until the madness finally fades from Dakota. He recalls nothing of the battle after the initial psychic assault.