[gilga]

Solo texts Al back: >> Oh Al... how I glad to hear that we are going to make move before we run out of APDS.  Are we going for eTher? Goodnight's comm attached. She might be too much of a roller coaster for your taste, but you don't have to like her just to work with her.

[adamu]

Al texted back, now including their guide: <<Roger that, amigo. Work's work. Yeah, i am going to recommend that. But rather not lay it all out until we can sit down and talk - even for just five minutes. We all have to sign off on it, first the family, then each of us, so I'd like to pitch it proper, with them in the discussion. Anyhow, they look like they need to take ten. Goodbye, is there a place we can stop for just a few?>>

[ScytheKnight]

At the sudden change Nitro stops dead, head swiveling as his augmented ears try to pinpoint the ghostly sounds.

"Allrigh.. allrigh.. summon mine explanin te me wha tha FUCK jussappene an where tha fuck we are?" He catches Goodnight's eye and raps a knuckle against the ammo drum "This be your area o exper'ease... Flechette or Ex-Ex? Nee ta know if I'm needin to lay a wall o' frag or blass throu armor."

Post count 66... really need to make sure I do it in this thread...

[Jack_Spade]

Isaint made sure the Doctor did not stumble with the sudden unexpected view into the astral. Most of the group had already stopped by themselves.
His patron had blessed him with an enhanced sense for danger, but now he wasn't sure if it was this place or a real threat lurking nearby.
At Nitro's question he said absentmindedly: "Looks like some kind of astral break or shallow. You are seeing reality unfiltered here as if you had astral perception. Those are kinda rare, as far as I know. But be careful, not everything you see is necessarily material - including the floor."

[gilga]

Solo texts Goodnight>>.... why are we seeing the astral? no AR icons - we are extremely vulnerable especially the mundanes, and the nasty stuff that this family can suffer. Have we taken a wrong turn?
Then he figured up that Goodnight cannot see his message. 

He looks nervously around, he knows enough about the astral to know that he is nothing but a baby in this realm, he need some spirit to make sure he does not stumble on anything dangerous.
At first he tried to summon M back, but she did not answer, maybe it was this place maybe it was bad luck, but the mojo was just not what it used to be. He then tried a smaller spirit. He'll have to re-learn how to live without M inside his mind. He managed to summon a slightly weaker spirit.
"Thanks for coming he said... please help us cross this place without stumbling. we are nothing but babies in this astral world" He asked the spirit.

summon force 6 spirit of man: 15d6t5 4
spirit defense: 7d6t5 2
drain: 16d6t5 6
F7 spirit summoned, no drain.

Try 8:
drain: 16d6t5 7
spirit defense: 8d6t5 3
summon a force 7 spirit of man: 15d6t5 3
no luck.
drain: 14d6t5 3
Improve intuition: 15d6t5 3
improve willpower: 15d6t5 2
drain: 11d6t5 2
Solo drops his horrible attempts.
Improve intuition: 15d6t5 3


The spirit manifested and signaled them where it is safe to go. She observed around trying to spot anything unusual or dangerous.
astral preception test: 15d6t5 3

[ScytheKnight]

Although his cybernetic eyes can make conveying expression difficult his frustrated bafflement is clear. "wai-wai-wai a bloo'ey minu'e.. I'm seen tha fraggin ASTRAL?! I guess tha also be why noneome overleys are wor'in'?" He scratches the back of his head before shaking it and walking over to inspect the drone manually to make sure it transitioned fine since he can no longer get an AR feed.

[gilga]

Yeap, ASTRAL ... I also find it depressing... we don't belong in here. Said Solo... Imagine yourself blind - without training you won't be able to understand what you see try to follow the spirit."He added.   

[adamu]

Now this was too much!

First everyone started glowing - it was a whole rainbow world, with the people especially bright, and then that new naked demon flitting all about.

There must be some sort of hallucingenic fungus spore in here.

The first thing Al did was to try seeing through Mel and Hal's clothes, and when that didn't work he decided this hallucination wasn't worth the trouble.

He switched to internal air, but no immediate effect. Maybe it would take a minute.

The rest of the team was chattering - by reflex, they used their comms, but the voices in his earbud were distant and fuzzy, and and he couldn't make out a thing on his commlink screen. No way he needed glasses, what with his cybereyes. So he started listening to what they were actually saying with their voices, and that worked much better - better than normal in fact - and he didn't like what they were saying.

He could restrain himself no longer. "All right, it is bad enough I am congregatin' with the forces o' darkness, but now some blamed fool down here is tryin' ta drag ol' Al directly into the occult world itself. Well, I ain't no devil worshipper, an' whoever is doin' this had better git they laughs in an' have done with it lickety split!" he growled, eyes going pointedly to their new guide.

[gilga]

Solo cried: "Al! keep your cool... I don't how or why we are here but try to keep cool because the last thing we want is to draw attention to ourselves.
We can barely see our equipment.  Cannot use technology and cannot really observe our surroundings so even if we can use guns... I am not sure we can distinguish each other from external threats.   These naked ladies are sort of our only eyes in this place. If you visit hell don't complain that your guide is a demon... I know you are having a hard time trusting spirits after all that happened - but they are the only ones that really understand what's going on right now. "

[Jack_Spade]

"Stay calm Al, but yes, this is no place to take a break. It's really difficult to discern what can and what can't hurt you here or rather: Everything can hurt you here, but you can't necessarily retaliate. As long as we astrally perceive we are dual-natured and susceptible to attacks from spirits that did not manifest. Sadly, bullets and steel still won't hurt them.
I'd say double time and a break when we have left this place behind us and reach a somewhat secure place. "
Isaint glanced around using his not very impressive skills in astral perception.


Astral Perception: 8d6t5 4 [8d6t5=3, 4, 6, 2, 6, 3, 6, 5]

[adamu]

Al realized with some chagrin that his voice had been a lot louder than they needed it to be. He brought it down three or four notches and slung his shotgun, feeling the comforting return of those phantom brass knuckles from earlier.

"Calm. Hell, I'm calm as damned Hindu cow. But that don't mean I'm not hoppin' mad an' ready ta bust some heads. Now, is someone doin' this to us, or is it just this cockeyed place we's in?"

His left hand stroked Spike's head. The dog was disconcerted at best.

[Kinkerbell]

"Its the place, not a person." Goodnight says tightly. Her voice is strange her, heavy with flavors of her power, and it rings slightly. "Its an astral shallow, your companion is correct. Astral space is treacherous in Widow's Way." She glances about and says, "This is not always here." Her form is largely unchanged- Goodnight is what she is, Astral or not- but now more power clings to her, debts and compacts glowing like jewels about her person, Her own magic clings to her like a gossamer spiderweb, the quickened spells that speed and strengthen her now visible, and the ring on her left hand blazes like a drop of radium fire as she awakens her focus.

To Nitro, Goodnight says, "ExEx. This is astral space, like as not, so if weapons are useful at all here, you want to go with whatever you're carrying that will punch through as many layers of armor as possible. Spirits are damnably hard to kill without the right equipment,  if they manifest against you at all. In here, they likely will not." She shakes her head. "This was not part of the plan. We need to get the hell out of here, right now. An astral shallow can be projected, but you wouldn't like to meet the sort of thing that can make one."

Goodnight grits her teeth as they start walking more quickly, and two more spirits blink into being above her, both floating on the aetheric winds. One is another fire spirit, twin to the first but further gifted with bat wings, and the other is a tall, statuesque woman in a hooded robe that hides her features, made entirely out of what looks to be the same stone as the walls. Her bound spirits, come to guard her in this place. Goodnight pays them no mind, instead pouring magical energy into a construct similar to the one she wears, the one that augments her personality through sheer force of will. She hangs it upon Natasha and manipulates it into a strange, self-sustaining loop, feeding it a tiny piece of herself to keep it going indefinitely. Such an augmentation is useful in the astral, where will and personality will avail a person better than any blade or gun. Then she nods, satisfied, and leads them on.

Astral Perception is 4
Natasha's spirit's Astral perception is 6
Increase CHA on Natasha is 10
Can't link right now, on phone. Will verify later.

[gilga]

Solo's spirit appears like dwarf carrying an over-sized sledge hammer. Solo quickly deactivate his power focus when he is finally done. Ha carries no active spells and his aura does not appear much different than that of anyone else, at least to the untrained eye. "This way" say the dwarf... "careful over that rock over there he yells." he clearly has a lot of work to do. So many people, so new to the ways of the astral. He is clearly working hard for his service alright.

Solo notice Goodnight, so she is the kind that wears magic like clothes... quickening spells could make his life a lot easier... but how to turn them off? cross wards? he is not that comfortable with magic. A lot of his attention is given to physical magic -  he is a bit fuzzy in some basic schools of magic.

"Goodnight... do you always carry your spells like that?" He tries to ask as quietly as possible, while he slowly makes his way through the marsh.

[Kinkerbell]

Goodnight raises an eyebrow. "What, as bold as brass and twice as bright?" She nods. "The ones I think I'll need, yes. Wards don't last long down here so a little planning is all it takes to make sure they survive." She shrugs. "They're eyecatching, sure, but right now you probably want them looking at me, and there are ways to mask such a spell."

Natasha is examining the glimmering threads of silver spellfire that cling to her now and Goodnight chuckles. "Its just a spell, sweetie. Normally you won't be able to see it. It'll make you stronger in places like this." Then Goodnight giggles like a flighty teenager and adds, "You might be interedted to find you're more attractive and persuasive while you have it." As Natasha begins to smile, Goodnight trades glances with Solo, and the expression on Goodnight's face slips long enough for him to see what Goodnight thinks of Natasha's chances of living long enough to enjoy her new benefits, befire the mask goes back in place.

[Aria]

[Thursday June 18th, 2076, ~04:24, Widow’s Way, London Below, London]

Looming out of the mist towards the group an armoured column approaches, eagle standard held proudly aloft, feet tramping in strict rhythm to the muted thump of a drum.  An officer on horseback can dimly be seen behind the first squad, breath steaming from the warhorse’s powerful nostrils…fragging Roman Centurions!  Ghosts following the old processional…except now the group can see that in this dimly remembered fragment of time the processional is just being constructed, half cut basalt blocks waiting neatly to be stacked…

Time to get off the road before they are trodden underfoot by these things that aren’t quite spirits…!

***
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