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“So would you mind telling me again, for the camera, exactly what this interview is about?”, the voice asked.
“Well, I--I wanted to just record some things that were happening to me, for posterity, and...”, I paused to clear my throat, “and in case some shit went down.”
I sighed and suppressed a yawn. Working and finding the time to Jump took up so many hours that it was hard to find time to rest. Not to mention the jet-lag.
“I don't know if I'm going to make it back from my next, uh, trip a--”
“To the point please! I only have about twenty minutes here.”, the interviewer snapped.
“Alright, alright.”, I took a deep breath, “The easiest way to say this is that I, and a few others I know, have discovered that we possess the ability to, uh, travel – we call it Jumping – to other worlds.”
The cameraman scoffed, “Is this the best you got for a human interest story, Jeff?”
“Hey, I'm getting paid and so are you, so save the jokes for later.”, Jeff rebuked the man then turned back towards me, “Alright, alright. So a BOLD claim, to say the least. Do you wanna give us some evidence or maybe explain some more?”
>Attempt to conjure ball of light DC10
>Jump out (Will drastically change narrative) Roll 1d6 for resulting world
>Talk about your first Jump
>Explain the recent shit that went down
>Write in
>>
>>1369830
>Talk about your first Jump
If we're recording everything for posterity, it'd be best to start from the start, and not with the things that will cause the interviewers to flip their shit.
>>
>>1369830
>Talk about your first Jump
>>
>>1369838
>>1369884
“Well alright, I'm afraid I might be a little long-winded with it, but how about I tell you about my first Jump?”, I scratched my head and continued, “I was running errands a while ago, I guess it was a couple of months now, when I ran into an old aquaintance of mine. We'll call him Carl. He was walking down the street in the middle of the day so I thought I'd stop and see what was up. He said he was fine but I still offered him a ride.”
The camera man yawned loudly, in turn forcing me to yawn. I cleared my throat and took a drink from the glass sitting in front of me and, rolling my eyes, I continued,
“Anyways, Carl was in good spirits, still just as quick to crack an off color joke as he always was, so I kind of forgot about asking him what he was doing. He had me drive him back to his house a little ways out of town as soon as I finished a few small errands. We pulled up into his driveway and when I saw his car there I was struck with curiosity.”
Jeff's eyebrow rose ever so slightly upon hearing this, “Oh?”
“Yeah, I know right?”, I cracked before continuing, “So I ask him, straight out, what the hell he was doing. Carl was always a very... Frank kind of guy, so he just started talking about, well, about how he could travel to other worlds and he'd been on another planet for the past day and that's why he was walking home and, well, a bunch of shit I almost immediately wrote off. At this point I'm sure he noticed that I was more than a little weirded out, so he asked me to humor him for a moment; he would demonstrate and then I'd owe him lunch for his troubles.”
The cameraman coughed, “Got about twelve minutes left, on my watch.”
(Con't)
>>
>>1370009
“So we get out of the car and he walks into his front yard, real casual like. I follow him, more than a little curious and a little weirded out. He turns around to me and just kinda beckons me over, holding out his hand. He asks me if we've got a deal, shit-eating grin on his face. What the hell, why not? I start to shake his hand and then everything kind of goes... Black isn't the word for it. It's like being in a place where light doesn't even exist. It's dark, but it's more than that.”, I resign myself to a sigh and continue, “And then the next thing I know, we're standing in the middle of a field next to a forest. Now, honestly, if it weren't for the fact that Carl's house was completely fucking gone I would have thought somebody was trying to pull the wool over my eyes.”
“So, you were somewhere else?”, Jeff prodded.
“Oh yeah, it looked a lot like good old Earth, but the more I looked around, the more it was... Foreign and unfamiliar. I would have asked Carl about it, but he was too busy freaking out that somebody had followed him along. He said he'd tried before but it always failed. He was ecstatic, he thought he'd made a breakthrough and he talked about changing the world.”, I shook my head a little bit, “I reminded him that an open field in the middle of nowhere was hardly evidence or world-shaking. He just laughed and told me to follow.”
“Eight minutes!” The cameraman interjected, a little excitedly.
“Alright, alright, I guess I can leave out a few details. I'm sorry that I'm so terribly dull. It's not like I'm paying you to sit here or anything.”, I snapped, “Anyways, we walked for a bit then we came to a town. The people were dressed strangely, to put it mildly. Well, it was strange to me, and it would be to you too. The place was very reminiscent of, I guess, late medieval era? That doesn't matter too much, it didn't take long to realize we really weren't in Kansas anymore. These weren't just overeager LARPers or really in character Rennaissance reenactors, these people lived and breathed under a different sky than ours.”
I rubbed my eyes and stifled a yawn,
“It took a few minutes to get over the shock, but sure as shit, the language, the culture, the people... One-hundred percent not from Earth. Anyways, then some stuff happened, a merchant accused us of stealing I think, and we had to explain ourselves to a couple angry guys with swords – honest to god swords, these guys weren't fucking around either – when we didn't even speak the same language. Then there was this storm and we had to get lodging because Carl didn't want to go back yet and I'm telling you the language barrier was hell. So he shows me around , the little bit that he's figured out himself and it's still sinking in; I'm not on Earth.”
The cameraman shook his head,
“Are you almost done?”(One more cause I'm a cunt who can't make anything short and sweet)
>>
>>1370146
“Yeah, almost. I asked Carl some questions, you know, the whole Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How bit. He said he didn't really know. He was out hunting one evening and his tree stand snapped. He said he remembered falling and then he was just somewhere else and ever since then he's been able to do it more or less as he pleased. I think I was asking too many questions because at some point Carl suddenly stopped responding and insisted we go back. I didn't really feel I had any choice but to agree. We shook hands again – hey it worked the first time right – and then that nothingness and then we were back on Earth, about a mile and a half from his house, on the side of some backwoods road. And that was my first jump.”
"Uh, all right then.", Jeff seemed unsure of himself, "We've still got about 5 minutes, anything else you want to say?"
>Tell another story (But make it short and sweet)
>Try and buy more time
>Give a quick rundown on recent events
>End the interview there and continue on with your plans for the day
>Tell the cameraman he's a dick (You can choose this along with another action)
>Write in
>>
>>1370157
>Give a quick rundown on recent events
>>
>>1370157
>Give a quick rundown on recent events
>>
>>1370157
>Give a quick rundown on recent events
>>
>>1370160
>>1370163
>>1370203
>>1370157
“Shit, sorry. Yeah.”, I took a breath, “Uhh, recently some of the other Jumpers have been getting, well, antagonistic with each other; I had to mediate an argument just the other day. And I know that doesn't sound like much, but there's a little more to it. Not only can we Jump, but some of us have been developing other abilities... We'll call them Kay and Emma, but they both, they almost killed each other. Not to mention the dangers we face going in to an unfamiliar world.”
“Why the hell are we wasting our time with this guy, Jeff?”, the cameraguy again interjected.
Quickly I responded,
“Look, it doesn't seem like much now, but whether it's because cities start burning and planes start falling from the sky or because we end up changing the world for the better, you're gonna be glad I got you guys in on the ground floor of this. This is the biggest story you may ever have.”
He laughed,
“And why do you care so much about our story and what happens to us, kid?”
“Because I might not make it back one of these times and I want my story to at least be out there. Because I want other people who can do this, like we can, to know they're not alone. There has to be more out there, there has to be. And... Really, I am terrified of what might happen. We're all fucking with things we don't have a clue about. There's no telling what awful shit could go down from here because we fuck something up. It's, it just felt like something I should do, you know, tell my story.”
“Aaaand, we're out of time!”, Jeff butted in, “Thank you for your time, Mr. Logan, and thank you for allowing us to record this interview. As always, you can hire us anytime!”
>Get a Jump on camera (Roll 1d6 for destination)
>Show them a Jump without the camera (Roll 1d6 for destination)
>Thank them for their time and continue on with your plans for the day
>Go talk with Kay (
>Go talk with Emma
>Write in
>>
Rolled 4 (1d6)
>>1370296
>Get a Jump on camera (Roll 1d6 for destination)
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)
>>1370296
>Show them a Jump without the camera (Roll 1d6 for destination)
I imagine we want this to be a video for those who always have the proof they need, rather than to prove our story to those who have no need to know it.
>>
>>1370296
I need to go to bed, but I'll try and get something wrote up tomorrow before work, and barring that definitely after.
>>
Rolled 3 (1d6)
>>1370296
>Get a Jump on camera (Roll 1d6 for destination)
>>
>>
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)
>>1370296
>Get a Jump on camera (Roll 1d6 for destination)
>>
>>1371188
i support this
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>>1371341
>>1371188
>>1370428
>>1370341
>>1370296
Now was a good time to catch their interest. Before they had a chance to pack up their things, I stood up and made a small show of stretching, keeping my eyes on the camera the whole time. Holding a single finger out, I made a gesture to keep recording and to keep their eyes on me.
“All right,”, I huffed lightly, feeling nervous, “I just wanted to say thanks and I'll see you guys around!”
With my words still registering in their minds, I began my Jump. It had to be quick, dirty, uncalculated. I didn't want them to miss this but this was a Jump for the sake of Jumping so I didn't have a destination in mind. That could end up sucking. Vaguely I was aware of a gasp and a swear from the two as my form flickered and I started to fade away from our shared reality.
I blinked and found myself floating in that familiar emptiness. Jumping was kind of like feeling your way along a dark hallway, only every thing you bump into is a completely different world. You were familiar enough with some places to get to them consistently, but with a blind Jump like this there was no telling. Several minutes of that uncomfortable floating feeling later and I finally feel that familiar push and pull of a nearby world. It's like gravity is the first thing to warn you that things could get weird. There's a distinct feeling of sinking and then all the sensations rush back in.
I immediately drop to the ground, my eyes stinging from the ash and smoke. I stifle a few coughs and take a few desperate snuffs of air through my already burning nose. I get as low to the ground as I dare, fearful of stirring up soot and dust and exacerbating an already fucked situation. I manage somehow to get a good, almost clean, lungful of air. Holding my breath for a moment, I try to assess where I am, only to realize I wore my glasses today. Smudged and sooty and completely useless in a world where there is as much volcanic ash as there is air I rip them off and tuck them into my shirt. I see a structure nearby and hurry to it, being cautious enough only to avoid active hot spots on the ground. As I near it, I realize it's a small stone dwelling, hollowed out and gaping open. I duck inside quickly and only within the relative cover there do I stop for a second to think. Of all the places to end up it had to be this shithole of fire and brimstone. It could be worse though, you had to come back here at some point anyways... What to do?
>Try and Jump back to Earth (DC15 [Fatigue, cooldown, environment])
>Take a break and think about what you know about this place
>Take initiative and do the thing now instead of later
>Poke around just for fun, it's not QUITE as bad as it was the first time you were here
>Write in
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>>1371374
>Take a break and think about what you know about this place
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>>1371374
>Take a break and think about what you know about this place
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>>1371374
>Take a break and think about what you know about this place
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>>1371881
>>1371791
>>1371446
>>1371374
Sighing deeply I set my back against the cold stone and let myself sink down onto the floor. The room is empty and completely barren, piles of ash accumulating near the corners of the room. Every time I've come here, it's been more or less the same as this. There's no wood, no doors, no tables, no cloth of any kind; there aren't even dead trees let alone living ones. No people either, really, nothing lived here, nothing was alive here.
Recounting mentally, I note that I've seen clay pots and a few intact panes of glass here and there, not to mention the occasional metal tool or weapon. It's a quiet place, save for the howling winds and hissing lava. I guess the constant eruptions and ash storms have burned or buried everything that had ever lived here.
“But people did live here, right?”, I wonder to myself, “They had to have.”
Talking to myself was quickly becoming a bad habit. A lot of the worlds I'd visited had been desolate and I'd found myself giving entire verbal monologues to the world in an effort to make some noise, and maybe just to keep myself sane. This place was one of the worst offenders in the 'feeling alone' category. Nothing but echoes and silence followed my voice whenever I spoke. I wasn't too keen on sticking around.
I tried to remember what little I'd seen of this world. If I was in the city proper, I probably wasn't too far from the castle. If I wasn't far from the castle, then I could probably get my bearings quickly. I briefly wondered whether or not I was really in the mood to look for fragments among all the ash of this hellscape. I had to do it at some point, I knew that much.
>Go rock hunting
>Jump back to Earth and continue on with plans for the day
>Write in
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>>1372507
>Go rock hunting
>>
>>1372507
>Go rock hunting
May as well.
Surprised we haven't jumped into an environment that's instantly fatal to us yet. Or maybe that's part of our ability?
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>>1372564
>>1372563
>>1372507
I sighed and rubbed my stinging eyes. I'm already here, so I might as fucking well, right? Christ, I was going to need a shower when I got back, can't go on a date smelling like ash and sulfur. Reaching into my pocket, I fumble around for a moment trying to find the fragment I kept on me; Car keys, house keys, pocket change, 'bingo!' fragment of magic stone! Grabbing it tightly, I feel a surge of energy pulse through my arm making me jump a little.
“Already, eh?”, I mutter, “Maybe this won't take that long after all.”
Pulling my hand to my face I reveal a small wedge-shaped stone, asymmetrically rounded at the base, purple, and glowing lightly. Grasping it I focus on the energy I feel emanating from it. In my mind's eye I can feel two, no wait, three other fragments. One is far away, but the other two are close. It feels like one is just across the street and, by proxy, a sluggish but still very dangerous lava flow. The other one nearby seems buried somewhere within the ruined husk of the city. Pinpointing that one might be a little time consuming. The last...
I take a breath and step out towards a window, trying to get my bearings. Just gray stone streets, buildings, the familiar blackened streaks of ash covering everything, and cooled volcanic rock. Wanting to try something different I ascend the steps upwards to the less protected second floor and then step out onto the balcony. Immediately I disturb some settled ash and am forced to close my eyes. Covering my face with my hands, I try to focus on the location of the third fragment. Within a few seconds I've divined its general location, and opening my eyes carefully I see the silohuette of the grand castle staring back at me. Goddamn, I thought we'd already scoured that place! Angry at the prospect of having to go back to the castle I distract myself by turning to the task of acquiring the nearest fragment.
“One thing at a time.”, I assure myself.
The real question then was how to get past that lava flow and to the other side of the street.
>(4 hours of daylight remaining)
>Try and find a way around (2d3 x 10 minutes)
>Try and make a bridge
>Try and jump the gap (DC 12)
>Write in
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>>1372921
>Try and find a way around
Making a bridge will be hard without proper tools, and jumping could go horribly wrong, so finding a way around is probably the best choice.
Maybe we should consider carrying around a pack of survival gear. At the very least, a decent Leatherman wouldn't go amiss.
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>>1372921
>Try and jump the gap (DC 12)
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>>1372921
>Try and jump the gap (DC 12)
>>
>>1372921
>Try and jump the gap (DC 12)
>>
Rolled 5 (1d20)
>>1373809
Well, time to die in a lava flow.
>>
Rolled 5 (1d20)
>>1373809
>>
Rolled 11 (1d20)
>>1373809
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Rolled 18 (1d20)
>>1373809
Is it roll over or roll under?
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>>1374983
>>1374252
>>1374033
>>1373937
>>1373883
Roll over. Speaking of rolling, I'm debating adding more dice rolling and skill checks. Let me know if you think yay or nay. If the consensus is no, then you can just ignore the extra crap in this post and give me the next prompt.
>Avg - 9.2
Walking back downstairs I think about my options. I could try and bridge the gap, but there wasn't a lot of material around to that with and I really didn't feel like moving furniture whil e I was already struggling to breathe. The next best thing would be to go around. I could do that; It would be totally safe, well safeish, and the only thing it would take up is time... Fuck it, I don't want to waste any time, I've got shit to do today.
Taking a deep breath I step out into the street, poking and prodding the ground every foot towards the lava flow. As I move closer, the heat becomes all but unbearable, the sweat on my skin mingling with the ash to create a stifling grime. I hurry back inside to take a breather and cool off, content with what I'd seen.
I run through it in my head, “About twelve feet? A good jump with a run-up should do me.”
I take another deep breath. Then another. This could suck if I screwed it up.
“All right, first rule, if you're gonna do something stupid, commit one-hundred percent. No half assing failure or success.”
I felt a little more confident having psyched myself up. Alright, no more thinking, just more doing. With a huff I started my charge towards the molten stream. One, two, three steps and I launch myself forward. A good try, but something wasn't quite in the stars. My leap comes up short and I find myself with a foot deep in a puddle of still liquid rock. The other foot lands true and I quickly wrench myself towards the other side in an attempt to reach safety. Luckily, with a little effort and only some small burns I manage to roll into a patch of relatively cool rock. Yelling in a mix of agony and frustration I attempt to tear my right shoe off to prevent further damage to no success. It's just as well, the pain and heat is fading away. I lay there for a moment before the realization kicks in, I'm not dead yet. That was incredibly stupid and I deserved every bit of that awful ordeal, but I didn't bite the big one. I was going to feel it for a while, possibly for the rest of my life, but I was here now, the fried chicken on the other side of the road.
>Lay there and assess injuries (2d6 + 3, DC: 4, 6, 10, 15)
>Try to get up and get that fragment, rest can come later (1d20, DC: 10)
>Abandon the fragments and try and get help from Jessi (Jumps, 1d20, DC: 14)
>Bonus action -- Try and heal yourself (1d20 + 2, additional + 2 per degree of success in accessing injuries, DC: 8, 13, 17, 23, + 1 fatigue with each attempt and with each degree of success)
>Write in
>>
>>1375104
>Try to get up and get that fragment, rest can come later (1d20, DC: 10)
Can we also look for a walking stick first. I like the skill checks.
>>
Rolled 3 (1d20)
>>1375179
Dice fail.
>>
>>1375104
>Lay there and assess injuries (2d6 + 3, DC: 4, 6, 10, 15)
Let's not kill ourselves.
>>
Rolled 4, 4 + 3 = 11 (2d6 + 3)
>>1375104
>Lay there and assess injuries (2d6 + 3, DC: 4, 6, 10, 15)
>>
Rolled 6, 5 + 3 = 14 (2d6 + 3)
>>1375104
>Lay there and assess injuries (2d6 + 3, DC: 4, 6, 10, 15)
>>
>>1370157
>Tell the cameraman he's a dick.
>Jump Out.
>>
Rolled 5, 4 + 3 = 12 (2d6 + 3)
>>1375104
>Lay there and assess injuries (2d6 + 3, DC: 4, 6, 10, 15)
>>
>>1375182
I'll roll for this guy real quick.
dice+3d6+3
>>
>>
Rolled 1, 1 + 3 = 5 (2d6 + 3)
>>1376972
Are we not rolling dice after votes are locked in, or does it not matter?
Rolling with votes generally means anything that gets bad rolls early on won't win.
>>
>>1376972
I'll just use a random number generator.
3, 4 + 3 = 10
>>1376816
>>1375367
>>1375291
>Avg. 11.75
>3 Degrees of success
>Current fatigue is 2 (Each level of fatigue adds +1 to DC of rolls)
Everything kind of hurts, if I'm being honest. I shake the thought away, I needed to figure out what hurt and why. Obviously the burning flesh was part of it, but I knew the chances that I fucked something else up were high. There's a knot of dread sitting heavy in my stomach, a mix of uncertainty and residual pain. Just how bad is my foot? I didn't dare sit up to look, not yet. I lay there trying to steady my breathing for a bit, looking over my hands and clothes without really sitting up. My hands are scraped up pretty badly from catching myself on volcanic rock. There are cuts running from my fingers onwards and upwards towards my shoulders on both my arms. I quiet my breathing and try to focus on my heartbeat. I can tell my foot up to my ankle is in poor condition from the dull throbbing and muted ache. Second and possibly third degree burns waited for me, I could feel it.
“Alright, alright,”, I start repeating the words, a mantra to keep myself motivated, “Alright, how bad can it be? Alright, come on, just sit up. Come on. Come on.”
With a little bit of effort and no small amount of pain I pull my torso up to sitting position, my bruised, cut, and burned hands and arms protesting the whole ordeal. I gingerly start poking and prodding my leg and foot area, dreadfully aware of the blistered, angry flesh staring back at me from just above my right sock. An attempt to pull my pants leg back to investigate further results in a shockingly painful sensation and forces me to stop. I abandon that line and instead investigate through my clothing, peaking at the burned-through holes and kneading gently all along my body, finding spattered burns cutting a track from my right ankle all the way up to a hand-sized patch of angry skin on my right thigh, with a few small bruises or burns seemingly all over the rest of my body.
I stay seated in a stunned kind of silence, just trying to collect myself. The hospital bills would suck – not to mention the questions – so that was probably too risky, outright. Jessi could probably handle most of this pretty easily, but then in theory, I could handle most of it myself as well... In theory at least.
I'm ripped from my reverie by a cough, then another. Normally I wouldn't think much of a cough with the ash and heat and sheer visceral hatred of this place, but I remember my face coming dangerously close to the ground as I pulled myself free from certain death. A few slow deep breaths confirmed that something was indeed wrong. Deep breaths hurt and shallow breaths encouraged coughs; definitely a bad sign. Smoke inhalation, particulate sucked up into my lungs, ash caught in my bronchii, actual factual burned bronchioles, any of the above were possible and every option fucking sucked. Maybe it gets better?
>>
>>1376989
The first suggestion to a majority vote will be the suggestion taken. Minimum of three votes with no maximumhopefullyand of course giving some amount of time for late votes to roll in. Roll the dice with your vote and those rolls will get averaged for the story progression. As for when votes are locked in, I'll try and not cut anybody off their vote or their role, but I can only do so much.
>>1377125
>Comment too long
>Attempt to heal yourself (1d20 +6, DC: 8, 13, 17, 23. [+1 fatigue to attempt, and +1 fatigue for each degree of success beyond 2.])
>Get up and finish what you started (You can take 10 here with no penalty)
>Get up, find shelter and rest (-1 fatigue, 1d4 x 30 minutes)
>Attempt to get help from Jessi (Jumps, 1d20, DC: 14)
>Write in
>>
>>1377139
>Get up and finish what you started (You can take 10 here with no penalty)
Let's get this done and get out.
>>
File: 7A2095E3-6C6A-4F97-BFC4-2F77C92E04E4-9457-00000972E8B37204.gif (915KB, 245x170px) Image search:
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915KB, 245x170px
Rolled 2 + 6 (1d20 + 6)
>>1377139
>Attempt to heal yourself (1d20 +6, DC: 8, 13, 17, 23. [+1 fatigue to attempt, and +1 fatigue for each degree of success beyond 2.])
We can do this, even if we pass tf out
>>
>>1377139
>Get up and finish what you started (You can take 10 here with no penalty)
>>
Rolled 1 (1d20)
>>1377139
>Attempt to heal yourself (1d20 +6, DC: 8, 13, 17, 23. [+1 fatigue to attempt, and +1 fatigue for each degree of success beyond 2.])
1 Incoming.
>>
>>1377139
>Attempt to heal yourself (1d20 +6, DC: 8, 13, 17, 23. [+1 fatigue to attempt, and +1 fatigue for each degree of success beyond 2.])
>>
>>
>>1377662
how do you roll dice?
>>
>>1377663
dice+1d20
in the options section, just like that, case sensitive. Changing the number before the "d" determines how many dice, the number after determines the highest the dice can roll.
>>
>>1377699
thank you
>>
>>1377702
No prob
>>
>>1377701
>>1377401
>>1377157
>Avg. 13.3, two successes
Maybe I should try and help myself before I go banging on Jessi's door. I couldn't just show up half-roasted, begging for help. I guess I could, but I didn't want to unless I had exhausted my other options.
“Alright, how...?”, I croak, questioning the air, trying to talk myself through what she'd shown me before, “You kinda'...”, my monologue trailed off as my throat protested the effort of talking.
It was about focusing energy, I had seen that much, but the rest was difficult. It didn't really make sense to me, but I had to try. I have to remember what she said, how she said it, what she did.
“Just... visualize it, in your head just try and get a picture of what you want the final 'piece' to be. For me it's like my art. You just kind of make it fit the image in your head. I want to make this better. The skin is cut and the bone here, I think is broken, so... Just put your all into the mental image of leg made better. It sounds crazy, but it works.”
He was an older local who had cut his leg in the forest. She put her hands directly over the wound and there was a light, I think? The injury knit before my eye, I swear I saw the bone reform before my eyes. Try and visualize it. Try and make it better.
I hold my left hand carefully in my right and closed my eyes; visualize. I trace the cuts and burns around and around the back of my hand, my palm, my fingers and onto my wrist. Almost immediately I feel it, like heat pulsing, pouring out from my hands. The cuts I touch hurt for but a moment then close leaving unblemished skin behind. Angry red welts feel hot for just a moment more before they disappear entirely. I move my hands down my own body, lightly alighting on every injury I aware of. Relief came with every small success, leaving me a little less stressed and a little more hopeful, but then... Hesitation when I reach the end of my bad leg. Well, better to try and fail... right?
I gently touch around the scorched shoe, trying to figure out if I should remove it before I attempt to heal myself. I decide to leave it in the case of failure, the thought of how bad it would suck to try and put it back on scaring me away from the idea. I hold my breath, fighting a coughing fit and attempt to get back to it.
“FUCK!”, I break down into a few hacking coughs and groan loudly before yelling a few more profanities.
My hands start shaking from the new wave of pain arising from my presumably ruined foot. The burning beginning anew as I lay there forced into a ball of misery for more than a few minutes. After an agonizing amount of time the pain ebbs leaving me more or less where I left off.
>Fatigue is 3
>3.5 hours of daylight remain
>Get up and finish what you started (No chance for failure, 3d20 + 35 minutes)
>Get up, find shelter, and rest (-1d2 fatigue, lose 2d3 x 30 minutes)
>Call it a damned day and Jump back to Earth (Ends the current line)
>Write in
>>
Rolled 11, 16, 3 = 30 (3d20)
>>1377833
>Get up and finish what you started (No chance for failure, 3d20 + 35 minutes)
We aint quitters
>>
Rolled 9, 5, 8 = 22 (3d20)
>>1377833
>Get up and finish what you started (No chance for failure, 3d20 + 35 minutes)
>>
Rolled 2, 17, 10 + 35 = 64 (3d20 + 35)
>>1377833
>Get up and finish what you started (No chance for failure, 3d20 + 35 minutes)
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>>1377884
>>1377875
>>1377837
>Avg. 62
A quick glance to the sky tells me that there's still some amount of daylight left. Maybe I could just get this over with and then focus on the rest of my injuries. Aside from having a goddamn club-foot and the possibility of coughing up blood, I admit it sounds like a fine idea. Nobody in their right mind would want to come back to this hellhole if they could help it. Well, maybe Emma, but she's been strange as of late...
“And I'm,”, dry coughs interject the words, “Not? Almost, killing myself... for some rocks?”
I shake my head because I already know the answer. There's no doubt in my mind about my course of action; either you stay a player or you become a pawn. Resolute in my course, I began the process of getting up and figuring out how much weight I could put on my bum foot. A slow deliberate lean and a sharp pain lets me know the answer is not that much, but probably enough. I look to the building right in front of me; at least this one is close.
A few short limping steps bring me right into the threshold of the building. A small stone table square in the middle of the room stands with several clay bowls and utensils on its surface. A few stone stools are positioned at each station. Heaps of ash adorn most of the chairs, with some scattered here and to around the room. A subtle gut wrenching feeling starts to turn my stomach but I suppress it. Everybody who had lived here is gone now, I knew that. I'd just never been unlucky enough to see such a clear picture of it.
I pull my mind away from the morbid thought of a family incinerated just before breakfast and again focus on the fragment. It was close, very much so, it... Was right there in front of me. I hobble forward, dreading what I already know to be true. As I get close the fragment in my pocket starts to almost hum with energy. Yes, this was quaranteed another piece of the same stone. The only problem was it was in one of those neat piles of what was presumably once a person. I close my eyes for a moment in respect for the dead and then slowly I start to sift through the ashes in front of me. Sure enough, I quickly find a small necklace, the fragment held in a cage of gold as if a pendant. Does it count as graverobbing if there's not a grave? I decide I don't really know the answer nor do I have time to care. With the first piece in hand I set out, dragging myself along the sides of buildings towards the second fragment.
(Con't.)
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>>1380713
Minutes pass of relative silence, only the grunts of growing exertion and an infrequent scuffing of my shoe dragging to break up the monotony of heat. As I matter of curiosity and to kill time, I observe the lava flow that nearly got me as I walk. After nearly a half an hour it still persisted, a river of death flowing endlessly through the streets of this forgotten city. Perhaps I hadn't made too terrible of a call after all. Looking up I see a large building ahead, its facade adorned still with traces of intricate filigree and washed out depictions of people and things carved straight into the stone. I stare for a moment, surprised that any detail was left in this dull, drab place. If nothing else it was almost nice to see a recognizable landmark beyond the castle.
“Almost, there.”
Without fanfare or accomplishment I limp up the short steps and enter into the massive atrium. Perhaps this place was a temple or a place of government once. Now it didn't even qualify as a tomb. Even my now ragged breaths seems to echo as I home in on the second fragment. My mind wanders, remembering a time not that long ago where I would have been terrified to disturb the sacred peace of a place such as this, a world where thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people met ther untimely and fiery demise. Things change pretty quickly though; since that first jump I've done things I never would have done back on Earth. Adding graverobbing and desecration of a place of rest to the list was mild in comparison.
Winding my way through the polished marlble halls of the inner sanctums of this place, I start to feel a profound sense of loss. An entire city, gone the way of the Old Testament, an otherworldy Pompeii. What wonders had this city been known for? What great achievements had they made? Those thoughts fade as I come upon a grand chamber set far into the building. A large dome of intricately cut glass rises about forty feet above me, geometric shadows play across the room and mingle with the design of the interior to create a beautiful show of patterns. A checkerboard of light and dark comes in from both sides of the room twisting gradually towards the inside to form a diamond mesh which in turn comes together to form almost a diamond spotlight on the center where a single jet black podium stands austere and proud.
I almost laughed for the irony of it but couldn't bring myself to disrespect such a work of art. I stared in awe for a moment more before wrenching my gaze away. The fragment was close and despite the small respite found here, I should continue on my way.
>2.46 hours of daylight left
>Take a break and rest for a moment (-1 fatigue, lose half an hour)
>Take in the sights and look around for anything useful (Worldbuilding, 1d20 + 4, DC 13 for finding anything useful)
>Get that fragment and get out, that foot's not getting any better (2d20 + 20 for time taken)
>Write in
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>>1381779
Ah ok, gotcha, makes sense now.
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Rolled 15 + 4 (1d20 + 4)
>>1380745
>Take in the sights and look around for anything useful (Worldbuilding, 1d20 + 4, DC 13 for finding anything useful)
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>>1386405
I'm going to bed, but I'm enjoying the quest so far
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>>1381490
>>1381779
>>1384293
I apologize to everyone for the absence. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
>Avg. 16.67 against a DC of 16 (Forgot to increase DC for fatigue)
I might regret it, but maybe I'll stick around for a minute. When was the next time I would find something this... Grand? Beautiful? ...Nice? Compared to the rest of this world, all of the above fit quite well. Not even smoke could find its way in to perturb this place. Not to mention the beauty and artisty sitting here, right in front of my own two eyes. I owe it to myself to take this in because I don't think I ever want to come back and I'd hate to regret not looking around.
I limp a few steps to the nearest wall and lean up against it to rest while I get situated. Carefully I pluck my glasses from inside of my shirt and inspect them. Still sooty. I probably won't be able to get them too terribly clean, but I might as well try. I go to pull my shirt from its position tucked into my pants and a brief but sharp tearing noise lets me know that I've ruined another shirt. Well, the lava probably did that, but now its even worse. Frustration kicks in and I finish the task tearing a patch of cloth just big enough and just clean enough to remove most of the grime from my lens'. I brace myself for the discomfort and put my glasses back on.
A brief recous and then the details pop out at me. The wall which I thought barren was actually inlaid with silver in a checkerboard pattern mimicking the shadows upon its surface. Three rows of open seats form consecutive half circles around the podium. I'm reminded instantly of the ancient Greek ampitheaters. This was definitely a place of culture. How much of this city looked like this before hellfire claimed the streets? I limp to the podium and stand there, silent for a moment before clearing my throat.
“H-”, I begin only to be cut off by a fit of coughing.
Out of habit I cover my mouth, but even muffled each cough resounds around the room. Not exactly how I planned to test out the acoustics, but it will do. Glancing at my arm after the attack abates, I see blood and sputum left behind. Wiping my face leaves more of the same smeared upon my sleeve. Yep, today was gonna be a good day. I fight the urge to scream in frustration. Why the fuck did I try and jump over lava?!
Alright, alright, okay calm down. It's already done, just gotta live with it. I close my eyes and try to relax the muscles in my body. Just gotta clear my head. I grip the podium and take a deep breath. My lungs rattle lightly and I have to fight back against the urge to expel it all in another coughing fit but I manage. As I exhale I feel... strange. It's like earlier when I was trying to heal myself, but different. A different kind of energy, pouring into me as I breath out. It feels safe, comfortable. I try to embrace it, to meet this energy in the middle.
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>>1389678
Suddenly visions come unbidden to my mind: The room is ablaze with colors, dozens of people weaving around each other rythmically, the checkerboard light show a vibrant contrast of hot and cold colors dancing around and around the room. First a deep ocean blue and topaz orange, then a bright vivid red and a dull, dark emerald green, and more, even more colors, spinning around and around just as the people are! It's almost too much to take in and then it's over, the bright spectacle replaced with the solemn faces of men and woman, and... Others sitting, staring at... me? No, the podium, I'm standing where their leader stood. The earth growls, rumbling deep and angry followed by the sound of thunder and then heat, screams. Panic plays across every face in the room, it's obvious something has gone wrong. The fire comes from everywhere and nowhere all at once, clothes and people bursting into flame. There's nothing but fire and heat!
I come to my senses, slumped over the podium, breathing heavily. I still feel the heat on my skin, like everything just happened all over again. A glint catches my attention from the corner of my eye and I'm broken from my reverie. I pull myself straight upright and slowly make my over to the the edge of the room. My steps are shaky and I realize that my adrenaline has already come and gone, leaving me feeling weak. I come to another pile of ash and almost as if it had been waiting for somebody to come claim it was the second fragment. I deign to sit instead of trying to stoop and lift it up to examine it. Yup. There's two of the three. I sigh tiredly and accidentally scatter the ashes away from me.
“Shit. Sorry 'bout that.”, I croak.
It would be a good time to rest but it also wasn't a bad idea to try and just finish this egg hunt off.
>2.? hours of daylight remaining
>Fatigue 4
>Take a break and rest for a moment (-1 fatigue, lose half an hour)
>Head on out to the castle for the last fragment (2d20 + 30 for time taken)
>Write in
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Rolled 15, 10 + 30 = 55 (2d20 + 30)
>>1389694
>Head on out to the castle for the last fragment (2d20 + 30 for time taken)
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Rolled 15, 17 + 30 = 62 (2d20 + 30)
>>1389694
>Head on out to the castle for the last fragment (2d20 + 30 for time taken)
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Rolled 9, 12 + 30 = 51 (2d100 + 30)
>>1389694
Head on out
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