<@Dreol> [Power Sliders Session 17!] <@Dreol> [You have finally escaped from zombie world! Yay! Except apparently you have landed instead in angry homicidal green man world. Boo! You showed up in a forest and the big orc who was chopping down wood spotted you and alerted the rest of the village. Lex has informed you that you are in Warcraft World, not to be confused with World of Warcraft as that would be World of Warcraft World and be very redundant and dumb.] <@Dreol> [Begin] So, we beat them up, take their stuff, and laugh like gods? *No.* Run away, build a city, recruit an army, then do all that stuff? They many more than us and, uh. * Katsuo motions. Bigger. Should we do something else before all his friends come? * Micah looks very confused at Lex. "Isn't that what you do in these games?" * Lex is obviously trying to think very fast. "If what Gaspar said applies here, this world should be something like Warcraft 3. That means that orcs and humans are no longer automatically at war, so we might be able to talk to them. Besides, I don't think we could outrun them on their own ground right after fighting that tyrant-thing." I, for one, am fully capable of a quick retreat at nearly any time. <@Dreol> [About nine orcs have made their way over to you. The lumberjack, one that looks like a miner, and seven of them that look prepared to fight with armor and such. A couple of the soldiers move closer, point their axes at you and say, "Up." while the others move around you.] Aaaah? * Micah keeps an eye on Lex, he's pretty sure this is the point where they take over the village but.... * Katsuo glances at Lex, this appears to be her area of expertise. * Lex puts away her crossbow as unthreateningly as she can and gets up, keeping a steady eye on the talker. * Cassiopeia holds her hands up. "We come in peace?" * Micah sighs and slowly rises up putting his hands over his head. * Katsuo looks non-threatening as he raises his hands, empty of weapons. <@Dreol> [The orcs seem to ignore Cass's comment and a few of them approach you and begin tying your hands together and nudging you to move ahead of them.] Are you REALLY super sure of this? We're not dead yet. And now isn't the time to discuss it. * Cassiopeia is fit to be tied. * Henry seems baffled. "If you say so?" I don't think there's another time to discuss this. Look. We need to talk to someone and find out what's going on. There's no guarantee we would've run into anyone friendlier if we'd run off - if we'd succeeded in running off. Chances are good we're in territory where no one likes humans. <@Dreol> [The orcs lead you ahead into the village. The village is actually larger than it appeared from the forest. There are maybe twenty huts and a marketplace area. All the orcs stop what they are doing to watch you led through town. Finally you arrive stone structure and one of the orcs opens the door and leads you in. Once inside you can see they have led you to a sort of prison with several metal-barred cells. The orc opens one of the cells. "In."] * Micah sighs. "Fine, fine, but if I die I'm coming back to haunt you and scream what a dirty...fuck I haven't a damn clue what this is. I'll just call you a fag." Call her smoke? * Henry blinks. "Can a girl be a fag?" Fuck dude, every one can be a fag if they are mother fucking sucky enough. Anyway, don't think it will hard for those... Ooh, a cell. Never been in one of those. * Micah suddenly goes quiet glancing back at Kyler. * Lex takes off her glasses and presses the heels of her hands into her eyes. "Micah. Shut up." We do not want to insult anyone here. Oookaaay. * Lex puts her glasses back on and takes a deep breath. "I'm serious. Orcs have a big thing about honor. If he'd interpreted that as you talking about him, even if he couldn't understand it, we'd never have gotten out of here." This is out? No, I meant we'd have no chance of getting out in the future. * Micah sighs and just finds some place to sit. They didn't kill us out of hand. That means they're going to talk to us. Which is a chance for us to learn where we are and what's going on, and a chance to convince them we're not their enemies. And if that doesn't work, we can still try Micah's "kill everything" solution. Hey, in these games that's the goal isn't it? Only you do it slowly and without skill. * Lex gives Micah an irritated look, but doesn't bother to respond. <@Dreol> [The cell door closes behind you and a few orcs stand outside while the rest leave the building.] * Cassiopeia glances around the cell for the plot-important item that's obviously here, since that's the only reason to have a prison-cell segment. * Henry sits down. "Hey, maybe the hero types will bust us out and that's how we'll meet up?" <@Dreol> [The only things in the cell are two broken down beds, and some empty metal plates that were probably used to feed their last set of prisoners.] * Lex shakes her head. "This game isn't like that. If we're lucky, we'll get to talk to one of the leaders of this faction. If we're *really* lucky, we'll be at a point in the plot where Jaina's gotten together with Thrall, so they'll know that humans can be allies." Who? If we're unlucky, we'll have forgotten to have save the rat from the cat, thus dooming us. Those are... heroes, yes? * Lex sits down on the end of one of the beds. "Thrall's the main leader of the orcs. I guess you could call him one of the heroes of the game. Jaina's a human who allies with him." * Lex looks around. "Anyone know anything much about this game?" * Henry shakes his head. "Just that there's two sides and there's an em-em-oh." Something about furries and the internet is for porn. I tuned out around then... * Lex shakes her head. "This isn't the MMO. There are 3 Warcrafts, and I'm guessing we're in some version of the last one. It has four factions - humans, elves, orcs, and undead. They all kind of hate each other, but in the end the orcs and elves and humans all team up against the undead." Are the undead zombies? More or less. When undead NOT zombie? When they are vampires. Werewolves? When they're banshees or liches, in this game. Little history. Orcs came to this world under the control of the Burning Legion, a bunch of demons. The first two games were about them invading human lands. Then they escaped from the demons, got enslaved by humans, escaped from the humans led by Thrall, and left for another continent, where they found and pissed off the elves. Orcs no get break. I bet they from space. Yeah. That kinda sucks. A lot. From some other world or dimension, anyway. So playing the 'We're from another dimension woooooooo' card might not be a good idea? I don't know. It might get us sympathy, or it might make them more suspicious. I think it's better to leave it out for now. * Henry nods. So, we sit here, wait, and rot? Who has the harmonica and who has the deck of cards with one queen missing so you can never win a solitaire game? Cass. But I doubt she has one card missing. Never know when you need a five of clubs. So you've got too many cards then? <@Dreol> [A few hours later a couple of heavily armored orcs enter the prison. Behind them is a larger looking orc with a giant jagged axe on his back and huge spiked shoulder blades (psst, that's how you know he's powerful). He pauses in front of you and looks down at you. "I am Gralk. Leader of this village. Haux and Klath have said that you appeared in the forest. Who sent you?"] * Lex stands up. "No one sent us. We're lost, actually." * Katsuo stands up and dusts himself off. * Micah shrugs and lets Lex talk. * Henry still doesn't know what's going on, but so far it doesn't involve things trying to kill other things so it's probably good. <@Dreol> [He looks confused. "Lost? You are a long way from any Human encampment."] Tell us about it. * Lex walks up to the bars and looks up at Gralk. "We think some kind of magic must have been involved. All the sudden the world went blurry and we found ourselves in your forest surrounded by your men. We're not here to attack you or spy on you or anything - we didn't even try to fight when they found us." <@Dreol> [Gralk grunts at Lex. "You stay here for now. I must send word to the capital."] * Micah gives Lex A Look and just leans back putting his feet up on the bed. * Lex doesn't see Micah's look, because she's still looking at Gralk. "Do you know how long it will be until they send word back?" * Henry rubs his head and thinks things that are best left unsaid. <@Dreol> [He shrugs. "No."] Thank you. We don't want to stay here any more than you want us here, you know. Our land was being invaded when we were transported here. By some kind of walking corpses. <@Dreol> [He pauses at the door. "Walking corpses?"] Yes. They seem to come from the north. * Henry nods. * Katsuo nods, confirming what Lex's saying. Damn bitches to kill. And their numbers keep growing. <@Dreol> [He mutters something to one of the soldiers who go running off. "If what you say is true we must begin to gather the soldiers and prepare for war."] It's true. Our prince went after them up north and hasn't returned. <@Dreol> [Gralk nods and leaves the prison.] * Lex drops down on the bed again, and says half to herself, "That didn't go too bad." * Kyler sits down next to her and pats her on the shoulder in a comradely way. "Yeah, pretty slick job." We're not tied up and being rotated over a fire, so there's that. <@Dreol> [Outside calls to arms can be heard as soldiers suit up and begin to march.] Yeah, yeah, but we are still here. * Henry rubs his head. "Do you think you shoulda made it more clear that we saw the undead before the who magic moving thing?" * Katsuo hmms. "Maybe." I think I did. But fast talking isn't my specialty. But they're focused on a different enemy than us, and the undead probably will be a problem for them at some point. Gotta sell yourself a bit more. Know who your audience expects you to be and who you can be and then find the overlap and be it. * Henry nods. "It'd be pretty cool if we did accidentally stop a surprise undead attack from the north though." <@Dreol> [An hour or so later an orc comes back in and drops off six plates of food and cups of water. The food looks vaguely like pork chops. He also removes your bindings so you can eat.] * Lex shrugs and picks up a plate and a cup. * Henry takes a set. "So, what do orcs eat?" Pork chop? * Cassiopeia eats and drinks. * Lex blinks at Henry for a moment. "Their diet isn't really a big feature of the game. They seem to be treating us all right, though." * Micah pokes at his food and looks at the water. "Lex, what are the odds we can eat this?" High. They aren't that different from humans, and they're not the poisoning types, generally. * Katsuo nods and, well, tastes it. * Henry tries to gnaw on the pork chop. "Man, how did people eat before knives and forks?" * Micah shrugs and just grabs it in a hand and takes a bit bite. <@Dreol> [It tastes all right. Not quite like a pork chop, closer to mutton. The door to the prison slams open and one of the orcs that entered with Gralk earlier re-enters. "We have gathered our forces. Gralk has ordered that you will come with us and fight."] * Lex puts down her cup and stands up. "We would be honored to fight at your sides." <@Dreol> [He nods, opens the cell and waits for you to leave the prison.] * Cassiopeia finishes off her mystery meat and hops to her feet. * Micah blinks but gulps his drink down and moves to follow, gnawing at his chop. * Lex walks out, turns to the guard, and waits politely. * Henry murmurs. "Isn't it gonna kinda suck if we fight the other humans?" * Kyler finishes off his delicious mutton chop and goes out to stand next to Lex. * Lex mutters to Henry. "Probably be fighting undead." * Katsuo finishes his food and stands, walking out. He idly checks what he's carrying and is happy to find he retained the pistol. * Henry takes his mutton chop with him. <@Dreol> [Outside there are several rows of Orcs who are armored and ready for combat. At the head of the group is Gralk who waits for you to get into the group before turning around towards the north. "Now! We march and defeat these undead scum before they attack us!" And he and the rest of the orcs begin to head north.] * Micah moves over and whispers VERY quietly in Lex's ear. "So...if you're wrong?" * Lex whispers back just as quietly. "Then we kill some humans. When have you had a problem with that?" * Kyler shrugs. "When in Orcland...?" * Micah gulps. "When it's me." * Kyler marches north as well! He softly whistles a jaunty marching tune, aka, "Another One Bites The Dust." * Henry marches north, with the orcs. * Katsuo marches north! NORTH MARCHING AHOY! * Lex would punch Micah in the arm in a comradely way, if she were the punch-in- the-arm type. "We've survived so far." * Lex falls in to march with everyone else. * Cassiopeia heads north, glancing around a bit as they walk through the forest. * Micah shrugs and heads north. <@Dreol> [A few hours out, as it is getting dark, the fierce glow of a fire can be seen on the horizon. Gralk pauses and looks confused. Then he begins to run towards the fire. "Karnisus has been attacked!"] * Henry mutters "Never thought I'd be hoping it was zombies." ...and here I was hopin' for a campfire party. Where is Karnisus? * Micah picks up speed running towards the fire as well. * Cassiopeia starts running as well, drawing her scythe. "Fire bad!" * Lex runs too, trying to figure out what's going on. * Kyler said that while running, of course. <@Dreol> [All the orcs rush forward as well, of course, and are met by a badly wounded orc on the side of the road. He is covered in blood and burns. Gralk stops in front of him. "What happened?"] <@Dreol> [The wounded orc stirs and looks up. "It was the humans! They attacked and destroyed everything in a matter of minutes. They had a great fighter with them. He torched the city with magical fire and fought off fifteen men on his own. He moved so quickly that we could not see him."] Ack! What? * Micah isn't stopping, he's still going for town. * Katsuo glances at the others. "Think it is Xelion?" Shit, probably. It's gonna be bad either way. Yeah. <@Dreol> [The orcs all turn towards you again, including Gralk. "Humans! You have attacked us! Seize them!" And the orcs move around you again. Several of them begin chasing after Micah and yell, "Stop him! He's getting away!"] HEY! Oh shiiiiiiiiit. * Kyler puts up his arms. "We were with YOU guys!" * Micah isn't stopping, are you joking? Stopping for things that want to stab you is a bad decision. We couldn't have attacked the city, we were in a cell! Heyheyheywhoawhoawhoaputawaythepointieswe'reonyourside! Besides, isn't it more important to help the wounded right now? Why would we have even talked to you if we knew this was happening? <@Dreol> [Gralk shakes his head. "You were obviously a diversion from your main force. Now you will take us to where the humans are hiding and tell us everything you know about this great warrior."] <@Dreol> [Session End.]