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Way of the Wicked Playthrough - Updated 2023/03/28
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<blockquote data-quote="rchodges" data-source="post: 8616446" data-attributes="member: 7031385"><p><strong>Part 2:</strong> Call Forth Darkness</p><p><strong>Act 3: </strong>Thirty-one Weeks</p><p><strong>Session 19:</strong> Burning the Mysteries</p><p></p><p>Week 4:</p><p>Jurak the Elder stretched his arms out, allowing the local wildlife to approach him and rest in his branches. The birds and local animals came close to him, to whisper their daily activities to him. Jurak enjoyed these moments of serenity within the forest. Unbeknownst to Jurak, Lucius had been flying around the Horn for a few hours now and had been looking for an opportunity to catch the Treant unaware. “Too bad for you that Donovan finally realized what a liability you are.”, Lucius whispered to himself, as he glided invisibly over Jurak’s relaxed form.</p><p></p><p>A moment later, a huge tiger, swathed in fire, landed on the ground behind Jurak. The tiger didn’t hesitate, and immediately rushed in to attack the Treant. Jurak didn’t realize the threat he was in until the teeth of the tiger began to cut and burn his form. Jurak recoiled in pain, shocked at the unexpected attack. “Why?”, Jurak cried out to no one in particular, or perhaps the creature that was attacking it. The tiger continued the assault, unfazed and unmoved by the fear that Jurak was quickly experiencing. Jurak’s huge arms reached out, striking the tiger, which seemed to do nothing to dissuade it. Claw and bite continued to fall, as the flames continued to burn across Jurak’s trunk and branches. Jurak raised his arms to the sky, as though he was reaching up for some divine aid. For a moment, Lucius thought perhaps Jurak had discovered where he was hidden in the sky, but the Jurak fell flat onto the ground, as the fires continued to burn his form. After Jurak was laid silent, the tiger began to lash out at the animals that were watching the events unfold. The remaining animals flew off, as Lucius landed on the ground. Lucius patted the tiger a few times as its head nodded to accept the attention, then snapped his fingers, dismissing the creature. Lucius then called up a Hound Archon, having it tear off the part of Jurak that appeared to be the face. The Archon found the piece and handed it to Lucius, at which point Lucius put it into the Portable Hole with a letter and the Holy Symbol formerly carried by Sister Marta Dian. Donovan had a plan that involved the former guests of the Horn.</p><p></p><p>Lucius reseated himself upon the mount, before instructing the Archon to continue tearing apart the remnants of the Treant. He then took off for Farholde, with purpose in his intent.</p><p></p><p>Donovan had completed the letter that was to be delivered covertly by Lucius to the convent that Sister Dian attended. Given Hallack Amon’s history, Donovan assumed that Hallack would be responsible for sending the next of kin notifications in the event of a death in the ranks. Extrapolating on that, Donovan assumed that Hallack would continue performing that action even after he left his commission. As such, Donovan believed that a letter sent to the convent on behalf of Sister Dian that was written by Hallack Amon would be accepted at face value. He gave the letter, along with the Holy Symbol and a part of the Sister’s clothing. The Sister was unsurprisingly reticent to let go of those things, but her options had been removed once she had decided to go back on her word. From there, Donovan believed that the other members of the convent would either consider the matter resolved, or would lash out at the other guardians of the forest. Either choice would be beneficial from Donovan’s perspective. After Donovan handed the objects over to Lucius, he felt another wave of fatigue wash over him. Donovan had been skipping on sleeping for the last couple of weeks. Between the work on improving the various rooms, the farming efforts with the Boggards, the time on the rituals, the time spent feeding Sister Dian, and going over the engineering designs with the Instructor, there simply was not enough time left in the day for sleep. Besides, even when he tried to sleep near Tamsen, her retainer would stare relentlessly at him, forcing him to sleep on the floor. It was just easier to skip the effort and help with some of the other things needed around the Horn. Still, even using alchemical compounds to help push off the need to sleep, Donovan felt the exhaustion setting in each day, and wondered how much longer he could reasonably maintain his current pace.</p><p></p><p>Lucius returned successfully, and no other messages were sent between Trik and Tamsen with regards to the convent. Perhaps they felt the matter had been resolved, at least from the standpoint of them not needing to research it further. A couple of days later, there was a terrible wail that came from the forest. Even with Donovan’s instruction to Zikomo to have the tribe recover the wood from Jurak’s form, he was certain that one of Jurak’s friends had discovered some part of the Treant, and was undoubtedly upset at the discovery. The group discussed the possibility of investigating the origin of the sound, but Donovan reminded them that it was almost certainly the Elves and the creature that appeared to be a Lamia. Considering the possibility of a fight with a group of Elves, the family elected to remain within the Horn instead of setting out to investigate the sound.</p><p></p><p>Tamsen continued her daily communication with Trik. Trik had mentioned that there was another potential group of adventurers, called the "Brendam's Breakers" that may be coming up, but he was looking into it. Later that week, Trik bragged to Tamsen about he and the others had dealt with them, boasting on how he had "broken the Breakers". Tamsen played fully into her role, excitedly praising Trik for his bravery and martial capability. Trik and Tamsen's time continued to grow and stretch, as he would find more and more things to talk to her about. Tamsen gave Trik all of his fantasies in words, luring him ever closer in to her grasp.</p><p></p><p>Week 5:</p><p>A few days later, Donovan found himself working on some furniture for one of the living areas. Wrapping up, Donovan grabbed a shower in order to clean the sweat of the day off of him, and then got ready to continue on to his next effort. Suddenly, he was struck with a desire to see Tamsen. How long had it been since he had been able to be close to her, and to feel her skin against his? It seemed like it had been an eternity. He approached the doorway to her bedroom, and then he heard the moans coming from it. He could see Tamsen’s bed in the reflection of her dresser mirror, and watched as Bebop and Tamsen continued to passionately connect to each other. Donovan watched Tamsen’s face, the look that she had for Bebop, the way that she truly desired him inside of her. Her arms reached out to grab him, to pull him tighter. Bebop lifted up one of her legs higher in order to feel himself enter her more fully. Donovan didn’t move, he simply stared at the reflection in the dresser, trying to wrap his mind around what he was seeing. It wasn’t until Camille appeared from behind the partially opened door to confront Donovan that his gaze was drawn away. Stumbling for words, he could only muster a simple, “I… was just…”, before Camille sneered and closed the door the rest of the way. Donovan bowed his head in shame, then walked to the teleporter on the second floor, and issued the command word to return to the first floor.</p><p></p><p>Donovan continued to curse himself as he entered the rooms on the first floor, “So stupid! Of course she’s with the other people here! Did you think she was going to sit around waiting for you?” Donovan’s path led him into the entrance hall, as his head was looking to the floor, trying to find his words. Donovan failed to notice the white furred creatures who had just turned the corner at the entrance, and were now moving towards him. He opened the door to the Alchemical lab, “Artephius, please assist me in my efforts.” “This servant obeys your orders, master.”, Artephius responded, as its lumbering metal frame came stomping out of the lab area it had previously been waiting in. Seeing the metal goliath, the Moon Dogs, reconsidered their attack on him, hoping for a more opportune target.</p><p></p><p>Fully spent from their encounter, Bebop, Camille, and Tamsen laid in Tamsen’s massive bed, slowly catching their breath. For his part, Bebop was almost feeling lightheaded, both at the efforts him and Tamsen had made, plus the vampiric behavior he had grown accustomed to from Camille. Kissing the two ladies softly, Bebop sat up in the bed, “I’ve got to get something in my system, I feel drained from you two.” Tamsen giggled, “Oh, I’m pretty sure I know which of us got your different fluids.” Bebop chuckled, then pulled himself up out of bed, “Do you want anything?”, pointing at the two girls. Tamsen replied, “Whatever you get, bring a plate. You’re not getting crumbs on my bed again.” Bebop nodded, then walked naked out into the hallway.</p><p></p><p>Approaching the fountain, Bebop issued the command for “Chill” in Infernal. A slight blue light emitted from the metal plate that was attached to the center of the fountain, and suddenly ice began to form around the plate. Bebop took up a handful of the water and swallowed it. It was a remarkable design that Idrees had put together, able to create both hot and cold water with just a verbal command. Bebop remarked that it was perhaps the most luxurious thing he had experienced, at least in matters of home plumbing. A few moments later, the blue light faded, and the chilling effect ended, allowing the water a chance to return to room temperature.</p><p></p><p>Bebop started the trek down to the throne room. This was the only aspect of the Horn he didn’t like, the long distance between the living quarters on the second floor, and the tavern on the first floor. Bebop told himself he needed to ask Donovan to install a staircase in the room next to Tamsen’s. That way, he could go downstairs and have some food, then come back upstairs and have some Tamsen. “It’s a perfect idea, Bebop!”, he told himself with much confidence. He arrived at the throne room, and mumbled the command word to take him to the first floor. Bebop felt slightly woozy as he completed the transport between the two floors, “I’ve got to tell Camille to take it easy on me. That girl always pretends to be so hungry, but I just think she likes the taste of me.” Bebop then laughed to himself, “Heh, so does Tamsen.”</p><p></p><p>The first floor always sounded busier than the other floors, primarily because Donovan was always working on room improvements in this area. He could hear the sound of metal slamming against wood or stone, and imagined Artephius performing some other engineering tasks per Donovan’s instructions. Still, to look at the place, it would seem there was much more left to do. The rooms were still undone, even the entrance had not yet been installed, despite the equipment being moved into place. Fortunately, the other floors had been sealed up. Bebop finally reached the tavern at the other end of the first floor. Lucius had already completed making dinner for the evening, but he left some food out, since Bebop and GrumbleJack were often known to try and get late night snacks for themselves, and Lucius would prefer they ate the cooked food, instead of the food to be prepared into dishes.</p><p></p><p>Bebop went to the bar area, and took several of the meat slices laying out, eating a few before he grabbed a handful of others. He then saw a fruit that caught his eye, “Maybe Tamsen would like something.” He turned around to leave, then remembered something, “Oh, don’t forget a plate!” As he walked towards the plates, he realized some… things were on the ground, staring up at them. They had white fur, but their front hands were not paws. They looked at him, and began to growl. “Oh, sh-it!”, Bebop said, as he dropped the food and dashed for the door, with the creatures close on his heels. Quickly communicating a thought to Tamsen, Bebop warned her of the attack, “There are some kind of dogs in here! I’m headed for the throne on the first floor!”</p><p></p><p>Alerts began to go out throughout the Horn, as individuals used their telepathic connections to inform others of the issues at hand.</p><p>“Donovan, we have intruders! Bebop is under attack on the way to the first floor throne!”, Tamsen connected herself to Donovan’s mind.</p><p>“Damnit all! How did Hexor and Vexor miss this?”, Donovan thought to himself, as he headed for the door. “Hexor! Vexor! We have intruders near the first floor throne room. I need you there at once!” Looking over to Artephius, Donovan summoned him into action as well, “Artephius, we must defend the Horn!”</p><p>“Yes, my master!”, the response from Artephius.</p><p>“Lucius, Bebop is at the first floor throne, he is being attacked!”, Tamsen continued to call out to others.</p><p>“Come to me, my servant of fire and fur.”, Lucius commanded, and a tiger appeared at his side.</p><p></p><p>For all of Bebop’s efforts, he could not outrun these creatures. He made it to the throne room entrance, before the creatures pinned him down and started attacking him on the ground. Naked and lacking armor, Bebop was in a poor position to defend himself from these attacks. A moment later, the Brothers Hexor and Vexor appeared in the throne room, able to take stock of what they are seeing. In Abyssal, one of the brothers says, “It would appear we have Moon Dogs to welcome as our new guests.” The brothers seemed mostly amused at the naked man attempting to hold off these angry creatures. Bebop forced his horns into one of the dogs and tried to run away, but the Moon Dogs were already well and truly engaged with him, unwilling to allow his escape.</p><p></p><p>Tamsen continued to broadcast out warnings to the group, making her last announcement to GrumbleJack before she had Camille grab Bebop’s bandolier and return to her side. Both her and Lucius used their Dimension Door in order to appear at the throne room a moment later. Donovan continued to move as quickly as he could, not having the benefit of motion that so many of the others possessed. The Moon Dogs continued to capitalize of Bebop’s precarious situation, biting and attacking him at each opportunity.</p><p></p><p>Tamsen ordered Camille to deliver the Elixirs to Bebop, while Lucius released his tiger against the Moon Dogs. GrumbleJack came flying in, swinging his massive weapon, and the Demons got themselves in an opportune position to place one of the dogs into a vulnerable position on the battlefield. Finally, Donovan arrived on the scene, and ordered Artephius to close distance and attack. The battle was fully joined. The Moon Dogs showed themselves to be powerful combatants, able to withstand punishment that would have bested much mightier creatures. The family’s allies did their best to make themselves useful, with varying levels of success. Once Bebop was able to use his Mutagen, he became a more powerful combatant, but found himself worn out from the constant barrage of attacks that had occurred before the group had arrived to assist him. For his efforts, GrumbleJack was also knocked into unconsciousness, but not before helping to aid several others to receive healing. Camille, while not having the strength of others, knew how to bypass the Moon Dog’s incredible resistances, allowing her attacks to be more deadly than might have been expected from her, as she transformed into a dinosaur on Tamsen’s behalf. With time and patience, the battle was brought to heel, and the enemies were all slain without hesitation or discussion.</p><p></p><p>Donovan moved through the group, providing healing to everyone before Idrees floated in on her disk, angrier than she had been in some time.</p><p>“Donovan Westermeyer, what in the nine hells was that back there?”, Idrees exclaimed in furious tones.</p><p>“Moon Dogs, Instructor Diggle. Bebop was caught by surprise when….”, Donovan attempted to answer her question, before Idrees struck Donovan with her pipe hard enough to put a cut across his eyebrow.</p><p>“I’m aware of what they are, I’m not an idiot. My question is what was that joke that you made as an excuse for battlefield tactics?”, Idrees pointed around the room.</p><p>“Instructor… they had just arrived here and were not sure where to position themselves.”, Donovan struggled to keep the blood from spilling out.</p><p>Idrees sneered, pushing her pipe under Donovan’s neck, “They are children, you are a product of the Academy. How could you sit there and watch that fight without sending instructions to them?”</p><p>Donovan’s face was confused, “How did you see….”</p><p>Idrees held up one of the Eyes, “You risked all of their lives tonight with your incompetence, Mister Westermeyer!”</p><p>Donovan cursed silently to himself as his gaze momentarily shifted over to the Demon brothers, “No wonder they didn’t give me advance warning.”</p><p>“Forgive me, Instructor. I have been attending to the improvements of this facility.”, Donovan’s head was bowed, even as his hand was holding back the blood from the cut.</p><p>“Yes, your improvements. You’ve continued to build bedrooms, while you should have been putting the doors up on the first level.”, Idrees was making her displeasure known now.</p><p>Donovan could retort with nothing. He knew she was right. He had become so fixated on everything else, that he had forgotten basic security.</p><p>“And if you’d spend less time leering at Tamsen and her lovers while they are together in bed, you might have time to get the work done around here that needs to be done!”, Idrees struck him again, but Donovan didn’t even flinch. What she had just said was so humiliating that he simply had no responses to give, no arguments to make. Donovan simply looked to the ground, hoping that this conversation could end so he could escape all the eyes now staring at him.</p><p>“Yes ma’am.”, Donovan’s voice was barely audible.</p><p>Idrees, seeing that Donovan was out of the discussion, floated away on her disk, “Come on GrumbleJack, I guess we’ll have to get to work on things around here.”</p><p>GrumbleJack nodded, and followed along.</p><p>Hexor and Vexor, having killed all that could be killed, teleported back to another area of the Horn.</p><p>“Well, I guess I’m going to go get another plate of food, since I dropped the first one.”, Bebop muttered, and walked away.</p><p>“And I guess I should go clean up the mess I’m sure you made dropping that plate.”, Lucius laughed, and followed Bebop.</p><p>There was an awkward silence in the throne room between Donovan and Tamsen, the first such one that the two had ever known. Donovan turned, and started walking out of the room.</p><p>“Donovan, is what she said true?”, Tamsen reached out for Donovan’s hand.</p><p>There was no answer he could have given, so Donovan assumed he should just pick the one that would hopefully end the conversation quickest. “Yes, I did.”, Donovan said curtly. Donovan attempted to walk away, but Tamsen blocked his path.</p><p>Tamsen pushed Donovan’s hand away from the cut on his face, and applied healing magic. “Donovan, when it comes to what I do in my bedroom….”</p><p>Donovan gritted his teeth and thought to himself, “Go on, say it. Tell me to mind my business. Tell me to leave you be. Tell me to go back to my work.”</p><p>“… you are always invited.”, Tamsen smiled as she completed the sentence. “If there is something you want or desire from me, tell me.” Tamsen kissed Donovan sweetly, then took Donovan’s hand. “In fact, let me show you.”</p><p>In an instant, Tamsen cast Dimension Door, and the two of them found each other in her bed, kissing as though nothing had even needed to be said.</p><p></p><p>Session 19 Ends.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="rchodges, post: 8616446, member: 7031385"] [B]Part 2:[/B] Call Forth Darkness [B]Act 3: [/B]Thirty-one Weeks [B]Session 19:[/B] Burning the Mysteries Week 4: Jurak the Elder stretched his arms out, allowing the local wildlife to approach him and rest in his branches. The birds and local animals came close to him, to whisper their daily activities to him. Jurak enjoyed these moments of serenity within the forest. Unbeknownst to Jurak, Lucius had been flying around the Horn for a few hours now and had been looking for an opportunity to catch the Treant unaware. “Too bad for you that Donovan finally realized what a liability you are.”, Lucius whispered to himself, as he glided invisibly over Jurak’s relaxed form. A moment later, a huge tiger, swathed in fire, landed on the ground behind Jurak. The tiger didn’t hesitate, and immediately rushed in to attack the Treant. Jurak didn’t realize the threat he was in until the teeth of the tiger began to cut and burn his form. Jurak recoiled in pain, shocked at the unexpected attack. “Why?”, Jurak cried out to no one in particular, or perhaps the creature that was attacking it. The tiger continued the assault, unfazed and unmoved by the fear that Jurak was quickly experiencing. Jurak’s huge arms reached out, striking the tiger, which seemed to do nothing to dissuade it. Claw and bite continued to fall, as the flames continued to burn across Jurak’s trunk and branches. Jurak raised his arms to the sky, as though he was reaching up for some divine aid. For a moment, Lucius thought perhaps Jurak had discovered where he was hidden in the sky, but the Jurak fell flat onto the ground, as the fires continued to burn his form. After Jurak was laid silent, the tiger began to lash out at the animals that were watching the events unfold. The remaining animals flew off, as Lucius landed on the ground. Lucius patted the tiger a few times as its head nodded to accept the attention, then snapped his fingers, dismissing the creature. Lucius then called up a Hound Archon, having it tear off the part of Jurak that appeared to be the face. The Archon found the piece and handed it to Lucius, at which point Lucius put it into the Portable Hole with a letter and the Holy Symbol formerly carried by Sister Marta Dian. Donovan had a plan that involved the former guests of the Horn. Lucius reseated himself upon the mount, before instructing the Archon to continue tearing apart the remnants of the Treant. He then took off for Farholde, with purpose in his intent. Donovan had completed the letter that was to be delivered covertly by Lucius to the convent that Sister Dian attended. Given Hallack Amon’s history, Donovan assumed that Hallack would be responsible for sending the next of kin notifications in the event of a death in the ranks. Extrapolating on that, Donovan assumed that Hallack would continue performing that action even after he left his commission. As such, Donovan believed that a letter sent to the convent on behalf of Sister Dian that was written by Hallack Amon would be accepted at face value. He gave the letter, along with the Holy Symbol and a part of the Sister’s clothing. The Sister was unsurprisingly reticent to let go of those things, but her options had been removed once she had decided to go back on her word. From there, Donovan believed that the other members of the convent would either consider the matter resolved, or would lash out at the other guardians of the forest. Either choice would be beneficial from Donovan’s perspective. After Donovan handed the objects over to Lucius, he felt another wave of fatigue wash over him. Donovan had been skipping on sleeping for the last couple of weeks. Between the work on improving the various rooms, the farming efforts with the Boggards, the time on the rituals, the time spent feeding Sister Dian, and going over the engineering designs with the Instructor, there simply was not enough time left in the day for sleep. Besides, even when he tried to sleep near Tamsen, her retainer would stare relentlessly at him, forcing him to sleep on the floor. It was just easier to skip the effort and help with some of the other things needed around the Horn. Still, even using alchemical compounds to help push off the need to sleep, Donovan felt the exhaustion setting in each day, and wondered how much longer he could reasonably maintain his current pace. Lucius returned successfully, and no other messages were sent between Trik and Tamsen with regards to the convent. Perhaps they felt the matter had been resolved, at least from the standpoint of them not needing to research it further. A couple of days later, there was a terrible wail that came from the forest. Even with Donovan’s instruction to Zikomo to have the tribe recover the wood from Jurak’s form, he was certain that one of Jurak’s friends had discovered some part of the Treant, and was undoubtedly upset at the discovery. The group discussed the possibility of investigating the origin of the sound, but Donovan reminded them that it was almost certainly the Elves and the creature that appeared to be a Lamia. Considering the possibility of a fight with a group of Elves, the family elected to remain within the Horn instead of setting out to investigate the sound. Tamsen continued her daily communication with Trik. Trik had mentioned that there was another potential group of adventurers, called the "Brendam's Breakers" that may be coming up, but he was looking into it. Later that week, Trik bragged to Tamsen about he and the others had dealt with them, boasting on how he had "broken the Breakers". Tamsen played fully into her role, excitedly praising Trik for his bravery and martial capability. Trik and Tamsen's time continued to grow and stretch, as he would find more and more things to talk to her about. Tamsen gave Trik all of his fantasies in words, luring him ever closer in to her grasp. Week 5: A few days later, Donovan found himself working on some furniture for one of the living areas. Wrapping up, Donovan grabbed a shower in order to clean the sweat of the day off of him, and then got ready to continue on to his next effort. Suddenly, he was struck with a desire to see Tamsen. How long had it been since he had been able to be close to her, and to feel her skin against his? It seemed like it had been an eternity. He approached the doorway to her bedroom, and then he heard the moans coming from it. He could see Tamsen’s bed in the reflection of her dresser mirror, and watched as Bebop and Tamsen continued to passionately connect to each other. Donovan watched Tamsen’s face, the look that she had for Bebop, the way that she truly desired him inside of her. Her arms reached out to grab him, to pull him tighter. Bebop lifted up one of her legs higher in order to feel himself enter her more fully. Donovan didn’t move, he simply stared at the reflection in the dresser, trying to wrap his mind around what he was seeing. It wasn’t until Camille appeared from behind the partially opened door to confront Donovan that his gaze was drawn away. Stumbling for words, he could only muster a simple, “I… was just…”, before Camille sneered and closed the door the rest of the way. Donovan bowed his head in shame, then walked to the teleporter on the second floor, and issued the command word to return to the first floor. Donovan continued to curse himself as he entered the rooms on the first floor, “So stupid! Of course she’s with the other people here! Did you think she was going to sit around waiting for you?” Donovan’s path led him into the entrance hall, as his head was looking to the floor, trying to find his words. Donovan failed to notice the white furred creatures who had just turned the corner at the entrance, and were now moving towards him. He opened the door to the Alchemical lab, “Artephius, please assist me in my efforts.” “This servant obeys your orders, master.”, Artephius responded, as its lumbering metal frame came stomping out of the lab area it had previously been waiting in. Seeing the metal goliath, the Moon Dogs, reconsidered their attack on him, hoping for a more opportune target. Fully spent from their encounter, Bebop, Camille, and Tamsen laid in Tamsen’s massive bed, slowly catching their breath. For his part, Bebop was almost feeling lightheaded, both at the efforts him and Tamsen had made, plus the vampiric behavior he had grown accustomed to from Camille. Kissing the two ladies softly, Bebop sat up in the bed, “I’ve got to get something in my system, I feel drained from you two.” Tamsen giggled, “Oh, I’m pretty sure I know which of us got your different fluids.” Bebop chuckled, then pulled himself up out of bed, “Do you want anything?”, pointing at the two girls. Tamsen replied, “Whatever you get, bring a plate. You’re not getting crumbs on my bed again.” Bebop nodded, then walked naked out into the hallway. Approaching the fountain, Bebop issued the command for “Chill” in Infernal. A slight blue light emitted from the metal plate that was attached to the center of the fountain, and suddenly ice began to form around the plate. Bebop took up a handful of the water and swallowed it. It was a remarkable design that Idrees had put together, able to create both hot and cold water with just a verbal command. Bebop remarked that it was perhaps the most luxurious thing he had experienced, at least in matters of home plumbing. A few moments later, the blue light faded, and the chilling effect ended, allowing the water a chance to return to room temperature. Bebop started the trek down to the throne room. This was the only aspect of the Horn he didn’t like, the long distance between the living quarters on the second floor, and the tavern on the first floor. Bebop told himself he needed to ask Donovan to install a staircase in the room next to Tamsen’s. That way, he could go downstairs and have some food, then come back upstairs and have some Tamsen. “It’s a perfect idea, Bebop!”, he told himself with much confidence. He arrived at the throne room, and mumbled the command word to take him to the first floor. Bebop felt slightly woozy as he completed the transport between the two floors, “I’ve got to tell Camille to take it easy on me. That girl always pretends to be so hungry, but I just think she likes the taste of me.” Bebop then laughed to himself, “Heh, so does Tamsen.” The first floor always sounded busier than the other floors, primarily because Donovan was always working on room improvements in this area. He could hear the sound of metal slamming against wood or stone, and imagined Artephius performing some other engineering tasks per Donovan’s instructions. Still, to look at the place, it would seem there was much more left to do. The rooms were still undone, even the entrance had not yet been installed, despite the equipment being moved into place. Fortunately, the other floors had been sealed up. Bebop finally reached the tavern at the other end of the first floor. Lucius had already completed making dinner for the evening, but he left some food out, since Bebop and GrumbleJack were often known to try and get late night snacks for themselves, and Lucius would prefer they ate the cooked food, instead of the food to be prepared into dishes. Bebop went to the bar area, and took several of the meat slices laying out, eating a few before he grabbed a handful of others. He then saw a fruit that caught his eye, “Maybe Tamsen would like something.” He turned around to leave, then remembered something, “Oh, don’t forget a plate!” As he walked towards the plates, he realized some… things were on the ground, staring up at them. They had white fur, but their front hands were not paws. They looked at him, and began to growl. “Oh, sh-it!”, Bebop said, as he dropped the food and dashed for the door, with the creatures close on his heels. Quickly communicating a thought to Tamsen, Bebop warned her of the attack, “There are some kind of dogs in here! I’m headed for the throne on the first floor!” Alerts began to go out throughout the Horn, as individuals used their telepathic connections to inform others of the issues at hand. “Donovan, we have intruders! Bebop is under attack on the way to the first floor throne!”, Tamsen connected herself to Donovan’s mind. “Damnit all! How did Hexor and Vexor miss this?”, Donovan thought to himself, as he headed for the door. “Hexor! Vexor! We have intruders near the first floor throne room. I need you there at once!” Looking over to Artephius, Donovan summoned him into action as well, “Artephius, we must defend the Horn!” “Yes, my master!”, the response from Artephius. “Lucius, Bebop is at the first floor throne, he is being attacked!”, Tamsen continued to call out to others. “Come to me, my servant of fire and fur.”, Lucius commanded, and a tiger appeared at his side. For all of Bebop’s efforts, he could not outrun these creatures. He made it to the throne room entrance, before the creatures pinned him down and started attacking him on the ground. Naked and lacking armor, Bebop was in a poor position to defend himself from these attacks. A moment later, the Brothers Hexor and Vexor appeared in the throne room, able to take stock of what they are seeing. In Abyssal, one of the brothers says, “It would appear we have Moon Dogs to welcome as our new guests.” The brothers seemed mostly amused at the naked man attempting to hold off these angry creatures. Bebop forced his horns into one of the dogs and tried to run away, but the Moon Dogs were already well and truly engaged with him, unwilling to allow his escape. Tamsen continued to broadcast out warnings to the group, making her last announcement to GrumbleJack before she had Camille grab Bebop’s bandolier and return to her side. Both her and Lucius used their Dimension Door in order to appear at the throne room a moment later. Donovan continued to move as quickly as he could, not having the benefit of motion that so many of the others possessed. The Moon Dogs continued to capitalize of Bebop’s precarious situation, biting and attacking him at each opportunity. Tamsen ordered Camille to deliver the Elixirs to Bebop, while Lucius released his tiger against the Moon Dogs. GrumbleJack came flying in, swinging his massive weapon, and the Demons got themselves in an opportune position to place one of the dogs into a vulnerable position on the battlefield. Finally, Donovan arrived on the scene, and ordered Artephius to close distance and attack. The battle was fully joined. The Moon Dogs showed themselves to be powerful combatants, able to withstand punishment that would have bested much mightier creatures. The family’s allies did their best to make themselves useful, with varying levels of success. Once Bebop was able to use his Mutagen, he became a more powerful combatant, but found himself worn out from the constant barrage of attacks that had occurred before the group had arrived to assist him. For his efforts, GrumbleJack was also knocked into unconsciousness, but not before helping to aid several others to receive healing. Camille, while not having the strength of others, knew how to bypass the Moon Dog’s incredible resistances, allowing her attacks to be more deadly than might have been expected from her, as she transformed into a dinosaur on Tamsen’s behalf. With time and patience, the battle was brought to heel, and the enemies were all slain without hesitation or discussion. Donovan moved through the group, providing healing to everyone before Idrees floated in on her disk, angrier than she had been in some time. “Donovan Westermeyer, what in the nine hells was that back there?”, Idrees exclaimed in furious tones. “Moon Dogs, Instructor Diggle. Bebop was caught by surprise when….”, Donovan attempted to answer her question, before Idrees struck Donovan with her pipe hard enough to put a cut across his eyebrow. “I’m aware of what they are, I’m not an idiot. My question is what was that joke that you made as an excuse for battlefield tactics?”, Idrees pointed around the room. “Instructor… they had just arrived here and were not sure where to position themselves.”, Donovan struggled to keep the blood from spilling out. Idrees sneered, pushing her pipe under Donovan’s neck, “They are children, you are a product of the Academy. How could you sit there and watch that fight without sending instructions to them?” Donovan’s face was confused, “How did you see….” Idrees held up one of the Eyes, “You risked all of their lives tonight with your incompetence, Mister Westermeyer!” Donovan cursed silently to himself as his gaze momentarily shifted over to the Demon brothers, “No wonder they didn’t give me advance warning.” “Forgive me, Instructor. I have been attending to the improvements of this facility.”, Donovan’s head was bowed, even as his hand was holding back the blood from the cut. “Yes, your improvements. You’ve continued to build bedrooms, while you should have been putting the doors up on the first level.”, Idrees was making her displeasure known now. Donovan could retort with nothing. He knew she was right. He had become so fixated on everything else, that he had forgotten basic security. “And if you’d spend less time leering at Tamsen and her lovers while they are together in bed, you might have time to get the work done around here that needs to be done!”, Idrees struck him again, but Donovan didn’t even flinch. What she had just said was so humiliating that he simply had no responses to give, no arguments to make. Donovan simply looked to the ground, hoping that this conversation could end so he could escape all the eyes now staring at him. “Yes ma’am.”, Donovan’s voice was barely audible. Idrees, seeing that Donovan was out of the discussion, floated away on her disk, “Come on GrumbleJack, I guess we’ll have to get to work on things around here.” GrumbleJack nodded, and followed along. Hexor and Vexor, having killed all that could be killed, teleported back to another area of the Horn. “Well, I guess I’m going to go get another plate of food, since I dropped the first one.”, Bebop muttered, and walked away. “And I guess I should go clean up the mess I’m sure you made dropping that plate.”, Lucius laughed, and followed Bebop. There was an awkward silence in the throne room between Donovan and Tamsen, the first such one that the two had ever known. Donovan turned, and started walking out of the room. “Donovan, is what she said true?”, Tamsen reached out for Donovan’s hand. There was no answer he could have given, so Donovan assumed he should just pick the one that would hopefully end the conversation quickest. “Yes, I did.”, Donovan said curtly. Donovan attempted to walk away, but Tamsen blocked his path. Tamsen pushed Donovan’s hand away from the cut on his face, and applied healing magic. “Donovan, when it comes to what I do in my bedroom….” Donovan gritted his teeth and thought to himself, “Go on, say it. Tell me to mind my business. Tell me to leave you be. Tell me to go back to my work.” “… you are always invited.”, Tamsen smiled as she completed the sentence. “If there is something you want or desire from me, tell me.” Tamsen kissed Donovan sweetly, then took Donovan’s hand. “In fact, let me show you.” In an instant, Tamsen cast Dimension Door, and the two of them found each other in her bed, kissing as though nothing had even needed to be said. Session 19 Ends. [/QUOTE]
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Way of the Wicked Playthrough - Updated 2023/03/28
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