Left 4 Undead (for Adia and Caspar)

[westfallcorndog]

All at once Adia's phone receives a rather hefty, suspiciously well-spelled message from Harrowheart's number.

Adia:
I hope this message finds you in fine health and good spirits. This is Tamminy Photovolt, not Harrowheart; I am merely borrowing his messaging device. I would like to propose a research venture to you and to your companion, Caspar. Would you be interested in collecting samples of microorganisms with fluorescent proteins? My assumptions about your world's level of technology lead me to conclude that you understand their uses, but if not we can discuss. More to the point, I intend to visit a part of my homeworld historically called the Eastweald for samples of a rare ore which I will need for a future project. I know that there are/were native populations of both bacteria and fungi which produce fluorescent proteins in this area and suspected you may be interested. Expect the local climate to be temperate, late winter, elevation slightly above sea level with an ocean current which generally prevents snow. Field time is expected to be between five hours and one day. If you would like to attend, please dress and pack accordingly.
Yours,
Dr. Photovolt

A few seconds pass before another text follows.

And idk if Tams said this but bring Caspar to cause were killing zombies together its a guy thing. Meet at Naug's tower whenever your free.

And at the agreed-upon time it seems that quite a few people are milling about Naugus' tower. Harrowheart is sitting at one end of the U-shaped table in the yard, fully decked out in a deep blue suit of armor with bulky, spiked pauldrons and a red cape which collects on the ground near his feet. He's balancing the pommel of his runeblade in one open, floating palm and staring boredly into the distance while behind him Tamminy and Lawrence argue.

Tamminy is dressed for chilly weather and burdened by a backpack (made for a gnome's body, of course.) Lawrence doesn't seem to think this is enough and is insistent that she also take a single-barrel rifle designed for human arms. She can't seem to explain to him why this isn't going to work for her even as she demonstrates how poorly it fits her grip.

Comments

[westfallcorndog]

Caspar snorts, and Harrowheart does too. That is typical, isn't it? At the very least he isn't offended by Caspar's blunt assessment, so there's that.

Harrow rises from his crouch and steps away from the party with an arm raised. His clawed hand grasps the air and begins to conjure magic, bolts of shadow like lightning that rush to his palm from the ground. The darkness intensifies until his hand is engulfed in it, and that's when he grasps the air and pulls downward. A kind of gateway, some sort of tear in reality into a world of darkness comes open as he pulls the shadows toward the ground. Out of it rolls a languid smoke, foggy and dark, and with it the rank odor of death and decay. There are sounds in that other, distant place. Sounds like gurgling stomachs, sounds like screaming, sounds like metal scraping stone.

Harrowheart takes Caspar by the hand and nods at Adia to encourage him to do the same. Tamminy takes the hint and grabs hold of Adia, and tightly. She's not going to be left behind in this place. But Light, why does that terrible minion have to take her by the shoulder? She hates this, she hates this, she hates everything about this!

When everyone is closely linked Harrowheart steps forward, but rather than walking directly into that other place he steps in sideways, slipping directly into the seam between the Plaguelands and that darker world.

Just a single step forward and the party is in the Nexus – at Naugus' tower, in fact. Time must have passed differently while they were gone, as the Nexus is darkened by night now. Lawrence is sitting in a chair nearby dead asleep under a heavy load of blankets. Tamminy smiles to see him, but she doesn't have it in her to wake him up.

"So," Harrowheart says as he looks between his friends. "Everyone came home in one piece. I'd call the mission a success. Adia, when you take pictures of your little pond creatures, I want to see them."

Tamminy whispers, "Thanks for coming, you two. It was good to have company. Especially yours, Adia. You..." She smiles slightly, though the tilt of her eyebrows betrays her embarrassment. "You were a big help."

[chiron_survivor]

Caspar looks about as thrilled as Tamminy -- bad enough that he has to hold Harrowheart's big, furry hand, but those sounds coming from the portal turn his stomach and make him regret the small meal he had earlier. Between the unexplainable magic and the smell of decay, his senses are thoroughly offended.

The middle link of the living chain bookended by the undead, Adia gives both Tamminy and Caspar a comforting hand squeeze. When they return to the Nexus, she lets out a soft sigh of relief. She catches sight of Lawrence, who must have fallen asleep waiting for them, and smiles as well. There's a good man there, or at least a man who cares about his secret(?) girlfriend very much.

She gives Harrowheart a warm, but tired smile. "Sure. I'll see you again soon." Hopefully with enough time for her to decide if she wants to lecture him about his minion or not. She loves him dearly, but she has to say something... later, though. She's far too drained to deal with it now.

When Tamminy whispers to her, she leans down enough so that she can give the smaller woman a hug -- if she wants one. "I'm glad I was there for you." She means it, too. How much worse would have it have been for her friend to be all alone?

Caspar watches over the two women with a thoughtful expression on his face, before looking over at Harrowheart. "I hope you're not expecting a hug, too," he says dryly. "You're lucky this suit is beyond saving, otherwise I'd send you a bill for the dry cleaning." And yet, somehow he doesn't sound all that annoyed. Not that he'd ever admit it, but part of him enjoyed the rush of splattering zombies and saving his girl.

He turns to leave, and Adia clears her throat. That's when he remembers the rifle slung over his shoulder. "Oh... here." He holds it out to the death knight, somewhat sheepishly. So much for a smooth exit.

[westfallcorndog]

Tamminy takes that hug gladly, and when they separate the smile on her face and warmth in her cheeks are impossible to miss. Adia, you're a good friend.

Harrowheart rumbles a laugh at Caspar's bullshit friendly banter. "Send me all the bills you want, Caspar, they ain't getting paid by a dead dog with no gold."

He takes up the shotgun that Adia hands him and looks it over before nodding at her. He wouldn't have minded if Caspar kept it, but he has the feeling Lawrence is going to want it for himself.