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Post by samus on Jul 9, 2022 11:14:07 GMT -5
(Okay, thank you! - that's good advice, I've already wanted to add things in after the fact a few times but not know how to do it)
Rewind: Of course, Buffy was soaking wet. In her clothes (But not her shoes thankfully, she had kicked those off before they entered the shower area)
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 9, 2022 18:15:48 GMT -5
(Yeah, you're not just learning the rules, but also posting etiquette. And I'm still easing you in. Eventually I'll stop more often. I've already planned the points where Buffy gets to say and do more)
**You didn't give me an action. I figured Buffy would want to say something to Shawn. I know nobody specifically ASKED her anything, but it did seem like a point where she would want to volunteer something to say.
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Post by samus on Jul 9, 2022 18:29:33 GMT -5
"Hey Shawn," says Buffy as she squats in front of him and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder, "How do you feel?.....Are you able to talk? Do you remember what happened to you in the tunnels?"
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 9, 2022 19:31:22 GMT -5
"Huh, what? Where...?" Shawn said in a daze. "Xander?"
Xander grinned warmly. "Hey, buddy."
Shawn looked between the two for a moment before settling on Buffy. "Aren't you that blonde who blew up her school?" He stopped. "Why am I wet?"
Giles handed Xander a towel. Xander passed it on. Shawn took the towel and stared at it for a moment before drying himself off.
"So, the tunnels...?" Xander repeated Buffy's question.
"What? Tunnels? The basement?" Shawn stared blankly for a second. "I...I don't know. It's like a passing dream. Everything was so clear before, but now it's gone. I remember going into the tunnels with my friends, we found that strange room, I thought I heard that same sound I heard in my mom's basement right before the pipes blew and then...and then I had this horrible urge to hug and kiss everyone."
"K...k-kiss everyone?" Xander backed away.
"I don't know how else to describe it. I just had to...grab people." He rubbed his eyes. "I don't remember. It's already so hazy."
"I would think you had a bad dream," Giles said. "Brought about from getting lost in the tunnels and falling asleep from exhaustion. You should probably see a doctor about mold treatment."
"A bad dream?" Shawn glanced over his shoulder. "Then why the shower?"
"You fell into a puddle of sewage," Xander chipped in. "You should really see that doctor."
Anything else Buffy wants to ask Shawn?
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Post by samus on Jul 10, 2022 7:30:19 GMT -5
Rewind: Shawn says, ".....I don't remember. It's already so hazy." Buffy asks, "So right after you heard the noise similar to the one in your mom's basement, you don't remember seeing anything at all?"
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 10, 2022 9:28:10 GMT -5
"I..." Shawn thought for a moment. "I don't remember. I figured there must be a damaged pipe. I didn't want anyone to get hurt, but I don't remember exactly what happened after that." He thought for another moment. "I think that I remember some pink goo oozing out of a pipe, but..." He sighed. "No, I'm sorry. That's the best I can do."
"Don't worry about it, buddy. That's more than enough to go on." Xander glanced at Giles.
Giles nodded. "Indeed. A return to the basement is in order."
* * *
Meanwhile...
"PSSHHHT!"
Willow jumped. The sound, like a soda can exploding right next to her ear, had jerked her away from her book. Her heart pounding, she glanced out the opened window.
A septic truck had parked by the curb near the library. A second truck carrying nothing but an enormous amount of plastic piping was in the process of parking next to it. Reverse beeping added to the growing sound pollution as another service vehicle joined the growing collection. A couple men wearing rubber jackets emerged from the truck.
As Willow watched, principal Snyder emerged from the school and moved to greet the new arrivals.
"I thought you boys weren't supposed to arrive until later tonight," Snyder said loudly over the rumbling trucks.
"Fast response to a potential school matter makes the mayor look good. And it's spring break, so there's no kids around," the crewman explained. "We could come back later if you prefer."
Snyder shook his head. "No, this is much better. Get it out of the way while it's still early."
"Right." The crewman produced a clip board. "I don't know if anyone explained this to you, but we'll need to see the entrance described in the police report. And in any matter involving potential damage to the water system, we are required to inspect the basement pipes, boiler...any potential threat to the school's integrity."
Snyder nodded. He began escorting the crewman to the maintenance tunnel. "I understand. I'm not angry at you or the police for doing their jobs. It's those damn kids I'm mad at."
"Uh, oh," Willow uttered.
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Post by samus on Jul 10, 2022 12:42:01 GMT -5
"Yeah," says Buffy as she rings the water out of her hair, "I agree, we need to do a more thorough search of the basement." She picks up her shoes and continues, "But let me just go to the library first and change into my sweater, it'll only take a sec.........and we should let Willow know the plan."
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 10, 2022 19:04:50 GMT -5
(I'm surprised. Normally I really don't like doing fan fiction, but this has actually been fun. I still want to get back to an original game, but this is actually generating a lot of ideas for me. I even have ideas for more episodes)
"It's Willow time," Xander said.
Shawn climbed to his feet as well, but instantly nearly fell again. He grabbed his head. "Oh...did I hit my head or something? I'm so dizzy."
Xander gave Buffy a distressed look.
"Um...yes, that is probably why we found you lying face down in a puddle of sewage," Xander said hastily. "It may be a concussion."
"In that case, this young man should be taken to a hospital post haste," Giles said. He pulled out a set of keys. "Xander, take this young man to the emergency room. You can use my car."
"That old thing? Why can't you take him? Buffy needs me," Xander replied.
Buffy looked at Xander, then at Giles.
Xander or Giles?
Giles has experience, training, and smarts. And Xander is...uh...easier to write, heh.
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Post by samus on Jul 10, 2022 19:43:47 GMT -5
(.....lol.....in that case I'll take Xander......besides, Giles already said that he's never seen anything like this so in this case he's not so experienced.....)
Buffy says, "Maybe it might be better if you took Shawn to the hospital, Giles," then she continues, "besides, didn't you mention once that your car had a manual transmission? I don't think Xander can drive that, right?"
(oooh! More episodes - awesome!)
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 10, 2022 20:54:53 GMT -5
(Hell, I even have an idea for a Star Wars story. Nothing official, entirely original, but it would be good practice for a game where you are entirely solo and full control of all the dialogue)
Giles glanced at Xander. Xander shrugged.
"Perhaps you're right. And it would probably be better if a teacher discovered this boy. Very well, I will take Shawn. Wait for my return. Do not go into those tunnels without me." And with that, Giles shepherded the confused student away.
"I can drive stick. Mostly," Xander muttered as they headed back to the library.
Back at the library...
Buffy threw the doors open and was immediately hit by the wall of stench that nearly cost her breakfast just an hour earlier. It nearly cost her again. She let loose a coughing fit.
"Hits you right in the gut, doesn't it?" Xander remarked.
As this happened, Willow jumped up from her spot by the window and came running across the library. She hit a spot of pink goo which sent her skidding across the floor, but, after a bit of arm flailing, she kept her balance and made it all the way to Buffy. She pointed at the windows earnestly.
"Ooh! Ooh!" is all she managed to get out. The plug on her nose popped off.
Xander grabbed Willow's arms. "Willow, stop. Take a deep brea...take a minute. Use your words."
"A bunch of men arrived in trucks and they're headed down into the tunnels and I think we're about to have a whole lot more cotton candy monsters and I don't think we can stop them because they're supposed to be here and principal Snyder is with them and he's already suspicious and I stepped in the stinky pink stuff," she concluded with a pouty look.
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Post by samus on Jul 11, 2022 8:42:47 GMT -5
Buffy gasps and says, “What? Are they in the tunnels already? We can’t let them walk around down there…………….Is Giles’ duffle bag around here, the one he brings on patrol sometimes? I need rope, lots of rope!” Buffy then goes into Giles' office looking for the rope.
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 11, 2022 9:42:08 GMT -5
Buffy entered Giles' office and searched for his duffel bag. She found it, and inside was a coil of rope (roughly 50 ft).
**Yes, this is a short update. Sometimes all I can do is give the results of actions.
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Post by samus on Jul 11, 2022 10:09:49 GMT -5
Buffy says, "Okay, Xander, Willow, the plan is, once all the guys enter the tunnels, we sneak up behind them, one by one, and very quietly blind-fold and gag them, and tie them up. We'll drag them back so they're near the entrance.....I hope they will be safe there." Buffy starts searching Giles' office and the duffle-bag for more supplies they might need (ie: flashlights, a knife to cut the rope, material to be used as blind-folds etc.........) and she continues, "I'm hoping the blind-folds will prevent Xander and I from getting expelled over all of this...........Then Xander and I can explore the tunnels with Willow's help navigating, if Giles isn't back by then." Buffy pauses for a moment and looks at Willow, "By the way, how many guys are there?"
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 11, 2022 21:04:29 GMT -5
(Best laid plans, lol)
Buffy searched Giles' bag for more supplies, and I think they had a trunk full of weapons tucked away somewhere in the library at some point, and Buffy was able to find everything she was looking for. Giles had some small hand towels for some reason, and there were plenty of rags included with the mop bucket.
Xander looked at the supplies doubtfully. "I...I don't know if this will work, Buff. Getting away, I mean. I'm sure you can gag people with the best of them." He suddenly pointed. "Soap! We need soap! Maybe it will help get the pink stuff off."
As for the question of how many, Willow stopped for a moment to think. "I'm not sure. Maybe eight? There were a bunch of men behind the trucks I didn't see. They went inside like ten minutes ago."
Is Buffy ready to head inside?
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Post by samus on Jul 12, 2022 7:17:10 GMT -5
Buffy says to Xander, "Well, this plan is all I've got at the moment......and by the way, you'll be the one to gag and blind-fold them while I hold and tie their arms............ Okay, let's go!"
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 12, 2022 9:00:05 GMT -5
(There's another benefit of doing games like this. There are things I can do here that they didn't have the budget to do in the show, heh)
Xander froze. "Wait...I'm going to...? Now Buff, I'm a strong guy, but these guys actually work for a living...Buff! Hey, wait!"
Buffy had already ran ahead. Xander followed, stopping to grab the spray bottle containing soap from the mop bucket. He "holstered" the bottle to his pants and then continued after Buffy.
Outside, Buffy ran up the walkway running alongside the perimeter of the building to the tunnel. Xander appeared just a few seconds after her. They ran around the side of the school, passing the trucks parked in the lot near the library.
"Stop! Feet..stop moving!" Willow called out.
Buffy stopped right at the corner of the building to look back. Willow was chasing after them. She had the school plans rolled up in her arms. When she finally reached them, she doubled over panting for a moment.
"Need...these..." she panted. She stuffed the plans into Xander's arms.
"Why? We have you on the rad..." Xander paused. "Oh."
"Giles...took the other one...with him," Willow explained. She straightened and took a deep breath. "You'll have to use that."
"Great. Not only am I wrestling grown ass men, but I'm also navigating." Glancing at Buffy and Willow, Xander suddenly chuckled nervously. "Which is okay. I can read a map. And I've been known to pin the odd tough dude."
"Xander, last week you got knocked down by a dog," Willow said.
Xander placed his hands on his hips. "Hey! It attacked from behind and threw all of its weight into my leg while I was busy helping that old lady."
"It was a poodle," Willow shot back.
"It was not a normal poodle. I saw the evil in its eyes."
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Post by samus on Jul 12, 2022 11:03:31 GMT -5
(Actually, can I ask a question please.........so the trucks that the workers drove here, you mentioned that one had piping or tubes? Are there any tubes leading from the truck to the tunnel entrance at the moment? ....so that the workers need them for some purpose in the tunnels?.............also, what is the terrain like around the trucks - flat or inclined?........if a truck goes forward or backwards, what might it hit? )
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 12, 2022 13:17:58 GMT -5
Never be afraid to ask questions. Questions are good. Heck, sometimes necessary. The tubes are like an extension chord for the septic truck; however, they haven't been attached and activate yet. Looks like the crew is in evaluation mode. The trucks are parked against the curb of the school parking lot. It's flat, so the trucks aren't about to roll anywhere on their own without a solid push. If they were to get rolling, one direction would send them into the football field while the other direction would send them to the opposite side of the parking lot.
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Post by samus on Jul 12, 2022 14:17:23 GMT -5
Buffy is suddenly lost in thought, not listening to Xander and Willow’s conversation. She says, “Wait a minute guys, I think I have a new plan. Do you suppose that if their truck was damaged badly enough, that they’d re-schedule today’s visit, call a tow truck, and go away?”
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 12, 2022 16:01:12 GMT -5
Xander and Willow exchanged glances.
"Well, sure, it would stop them from getting any repairs done," Willow answered, "but they still need to evaluate the pipes and they're kind of already down there..."
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Post by samus on Jul 12, 2022 16:49:49 GMT -5
Buffy says, "You're right I suppose, I just wish there was a faster way to do this.........subduing at least 8 guys one by one is going to take a really long time, and they're in danger every second they're down there, but I guess we have no other choice." Buffy peeks around the corner and looks in the direction of the door to the basement/tunnels to see if the coast is clear.........
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 12, 2022 20:28:59 GMT -5
(In case it's not already obvious, I don't exactly prioritize proper spelling and grammar, lol)
It's NOT clear.
Principal Snyder, looking over some papers, is coming their way.
The team immediately scatters in every direction which results in them running into each other. They push and bump trying to decide on a direction to go but ultimately end up going nowhere.
Snyder looked up. "Rosenberg! What are you doing out here?"
Just to their left, nestled against the corner of the building is a planter filled with a large tree and some small bushes. Buffy tripped over Xander diving behind the planter while Xander fell on top of her. Willow "encouraged" them by pushing before quickly straightening up and grinning broadly at the approaching principal.
"Principal Snyder! Lovely day for...an inspection of the basement?" Willow concluded with her classic inflection.
The principal walked right up to Willow and gave her his trademarked "no nonsense" look. Xander and Buffy quietly made their way around the planter.
"Shouldn't you be inside cleaning that mess?" he asked.
Willow's eyes widened. "Um...the mess, sir?"
"Yes, the mess. The mess that your friends made." Snyder said sternly.
"Uh..." Willow began looking in random directions nervously. "Yes, I...am? I'm just...taking a short break?"
"I can't say I entirely blame you Rosenberg, but if you don't finish cleaning my library of your crap there will be hell to pay!"
"Crap, sir?"
"Yes. Your crap. Your literal crap. From Harris' accident!"
"Oh. Oh!" Willow immediately brightened. She swung her arms happily. "Yes, Xander pooped himself! Pooped himself good! I warned him not to hold it, but he just had to let out a big ol' turd right there in the library. Poop everywhere! On the walls, on the table..."
Snyder's face twisted in disgust. "Good, god Rosenberg! On the walls? What the hell are you people doing in there?"
Willow raised her hands defensively. "No, no, no! It's just a...figure of speech! It's okay. Everything is fine. We'll have it all cleaned up in a jiffy."
"You had better." Snyder shook his head slowly. "Good lord, didn't your parents potty train you kids?"
By that point, Buffy and Xander managed to sneak away.
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Post by samus on Jul 13, 2022 7:29:18 GMT -5
Rewind: Buffy and Xander hide behind the planter until Snyder keeps walking to wherever he was walking to, then they come out of hiding. (*Please let me know where Snyder has gone to........and I'm assuming Willow starts walking back to the school?)
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 13, 2022 7:51:03 GMT -5
(Actually, I had not finished the update, but I was just too tired to go any further so I just figured Buffy would run off while Snyder is distracted. Snyder ends up escorting Willow back into the school because he's just like that)
* * *
MEANWHILE...
The crewmen stood around the broken pipe with puzzled looks. The pipe had split down the horizontal, running about 10 ft. or so, but that wasn't the part that made them stare. In a couple points along the pipe, two corrosion holes had formed along the crack. A pink substance bubbled for from the holes.
"Have you ever seen anything like that before?" one of the crewmen asked.
The other crewmen just shook their heads in response.
"There is sewage over there..."
"Yeah, but unless these kids have been eating nothing but gum, then I don't know if we can call it sewage."
The crewmen returned to staring at the pipe.
"Maybe it's some kind of fungus."
"You ever see fungus like that?"
"How the hell should I know? I'm no fungas...fungologist."
"Well, it smells like sewage."
All of the crewmen nodded in agreement.
Suddenly the pipe began to shake. A groaning sound filled the basement.
"Looks like someone flushed."
"That idiot. The principal was supposed to tell everyone left in the school not to use the toilets until we could shut off the water."
"Uh...no, wait. It's not a flush. It's coming up the pipe."
The crewmen stared in awe as the pipe shook and groaned. A pink bubble formed around the hole. It expanded...
The crewman slowly backed away.
And then the pink bubble burst, splashing goo everywhere.
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Post by samus on Jul 13, 2022 11:32:37 GMT -5
Buffy jogs over to the basement door and goes inside.
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 13, 2022 20:23:49 GMT -5
OUTSIDE THE SUNNYDALE TUNNELS:
Buffy and Xander ran around the side of the school and headed to the old maintenance tunnels entrance. When they got there, they discovered one of the crewmen studying the door.
"How do get by that guy without causing a fuss?" Xander wondered aloud.
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Post by samus on Jul 14, 2022 7:13:49 GMT -5
Buffy approaches him and says, "Excuse me, are you with Sam's Sewer Maintenance, by any chance?"........(which is the name written on the two parked trucks)............she continues, "ummmm, I think one of your trucks has a leak......... There's a puddle forming under the engine."
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 14, 2022 15:51:56 GMT -5
City owned utility trucks are usually unmarked except with maybe the city's name on the truck. But that's not important.
What Buffy is attempting to do here is bluff. Does she succeed?
Buffy attempts to bluff the crewman. I roll a 1. Now, that's normally an automatic fail...
BUT!
With regards to certain actions, there are things players can to do push the odds in their favour. This is more than just a matter of bonus factors. Sometimes it's an outright bonus POINT! And the reverse is also true.
Consider this: a man decides to arm wrestle another man. Will he succeed? Well, there are many factors at play, but obviously a stronger man is more likely to win. Now consider if this same man arm wrestles Superman. He rolls a 3, so that means he just beat Superman in an arm wrestling match, right?
Well...no, it doesn't. It's SUPERMAN. That guy can literally pick up planets. What's a random mook going to do against Superman? In this case, I would apply a penalty: a -3. So, now the guy's roll of 3 becomes a roll of 0. He can't win no matter what. Because he shouldn't.
Now let's pretend that same guy arm wrestles a fly. He rolls a 1. But it's a fly, so I apply a +3 bonus to the roll. He can't lose. It's a fly, of course he can't.
Persuasiveness is actually one of the best examples of this concept because this is where bonuses and penalties come up the most. There are many different things you can do to persuade someone. Bribing is the simplist. You offer money or whatever and it gets easier to persuade someone. Intimidation is another. You threaten someone's life and they will cooperate (Buffy actually does this a lot). Sometimes players say the exact PERFECT thing to change someone's mind regardless of skill. Hey, it happens, so give it a shot.
In other words, try to do something impossible and you can still fail on rolls of 3. And if you go to extremes to guarantee success, you might still succeed on rolls of 1! And sometimes I'll just be lazy and say "Well, that sounds convincing, so I'll allow it". Assigning bonuses is pretty much up to the game master, so don't worry about it too much. Just know you can push the odds in your favour. And don't try to arm wrestle Superman...unless you're Supergirl.
This bit of news earns the reaction Buffy is looking for (+1 bonus and bonus factor on 2; this bluff is very reasonable; it has happened before; if not addressed immediately, these guys jobs are screwed for days).
"Again? God damn it!" the crewman yelled before running off.
"Wow, Buff. Didn't realize you were such a silver tongued devil," Xander remarked.
They headed into the tunnel.
OLD MAINTENANCE TUNNELS:
With flash lights out, the two headed into the tunnels. Now with better light and experience on their side, they have no trouble making their way through the tunnels. It's not long before they encounter the first sign of trouble.
They discover one crewman on the ground in the tunnel, just outside the area where they encountered the stoner vampire. Xander bends down to check the downed crewman.
"He's alive. I think he bumped his head. Something must have scared him," Xander explained.
As if to confirm his belief, a loud moan suddenly filled the basement.
Xander groaned. "We should have brought nose plugs."
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Post by samus on Jul 14, 2022 17:55:57 GMT -5
Tightening her grip on the duffle bag straps, Buffy jogs in the direction that the groan came from...........
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Post by TG Barighm on Jul 14, 2022 18:04:25 GMT -5
(She brought the duffel bag?)
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