Always Have A Backup Plan (Ash City Alts)

Zanth found himself fastened by bolts and wires to a device resembling an electric chair when he awoke.

It didn't take him long to figure out what his captors had in mind.

Struggling was no help. With each futile attempt, vital fluids would be lost, and considering the many flammable ones that kept him going, the mechanized lifeform knew that all it would take was a good, strong current to blow him apart.

Considering he was never supposed to have existed, it wouldn't be long until someone tried.

Zanth looks around, realizing that he's bolted down into the chair, he immediately starts to change his body to be ready to absorb what might happen.



~ Zanth activates Adpative Resistance
~ ~ Zanth uses Energy Immunity (Lightning)

"We thought it might try that,", the voice of a young man spoke cooly over a loudspeaker-esque device in the ceiling, "This is why the device, like it, can adapt. It will not be adequately prepared to defend against the strike, not knowing what to expect, but there is a way out of this ...if it cooperates."

Zanth thinks to himself, 'Well, it was worth a shot at least, so ....' Zanth sighs as he puts his defense down, knowing something was going to happen.




~ Zanth suppresses Adaptive Resistance

"Are we to understand it intends to cooperate?," the voice interrogated further.

Zanth looks up to where the voice is coming from, and says, "I'm not sure why I'm considered an it, but yeah." As he is talking, he slowly begins to try to disable the chair before something happens, or they notice something

~ Zanth uses Adaptive Defense
~ ~ Zanth uses Disable Trap

"It does not have a soul," the voice explained, "It can never be more than a machine. But machines are the vessel to perfection, and so it may yet find use once suitably bonded with a host."

~~~~~~~
Zanth attempts to disable Chair Trap!
~ Must beat DC 25 with Resistance check
~~~~~~~

Zanth says, " I don't care about a soul, as long as I'm still functional, that's proof enough." As he was talking, he can feel the chair being disabled, so now he knows that the chair is no longer a threat, only now he must figure out how to get out of here.





~ Zanth attempts to Disable Trap
~ ~ Resistance check result 20
~ ~ ~ 20 + 4 Disable Trap + 13 Resistance = 37 (Success!)

The member 'Zanth' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 20

"Such arrogance," the voice sounded almost full of pity, "To defy the natural o-agh!"

As the sound of the person the voice belonged to choking on some liquid was heard over the loudspeaker, Zanth knew this was his chance!

Zanth thinks to himself, 'Hrmp, serves him right.' With that, Zanth starts to dismantle the bolts holding him down to the chair, and within seconds, he free!

Taking a piece of the chair's armrest, he moves to the door and sees if it's locked.

As Zanth leaned in close to the door, he was suddenly greeted by a loud bang in his face as the door was kicked open, hopefully not too fast for him to dodge, and there stood two figures. A male and a female.



The man, who lithely stepped aside, was sharply dressed in a pinstriped grey zoot suit. His skin was an ivory white, and somewhere behind his long, pretty brown hair, his eyes could be discerned as blue but, and maybe the lights were playing tricks, Zanth swore he'd seen that same look in the eyes of his dolls.

The woman followed closely behind him. She wore a simple black dress that covered her short form from throat to ankle. Her long hair was pulled back in a severe braid that ended abruptly at her slim hips. Her black eyes flashed as she spotted Zanth. A cold smile twisted her beautiful lips as she looked him. The smile reached her eyes, but only barely. It was as if she was only going through the motions that people expected from her.

"I think we've found him, Mr. Pinstripe," she said, obviously speaking to the man in the suit.

Zanth, looking at the woman said, "Who are you, another Church goon?"

Her smile grows colder at the question. She folds her hands together at her waist.

"No," she replied, her voice cool. "Nothing so crass. We were sent to...rescue you." She watches him for a moment longer before adding, "My name is Dzara. Do you have one?"

Zanth, realizing she's not a Church goon, says, "Yes I have a name, it's Zanth, and what's this about a rescue?" Zanth then looks to her friend and then says, " This your doll?"

"Religion is politics introduced to anarchy and I don't care much for either," the man replied cryptically as he surveyed the hall for a seemingly innocuous moment before instantaneously drawing a single-edged blade from the shaft of what had previously appeared a classy cane in one hand and motioning with it, first at Zanth to make his point, then toward the door that would serve as their exit, "And I am no one's doll."

Looking back with an eerie approximation of a smile made all the more so by his empty blue eyes, he nudged his head in the direction he was pointing, "Shall we?"

"Mr. Pinstripe does have a point, Mr. Zanth." She lifted one arm and gestured towards the door. "There will be time for more talk after we have left this...place." The last word was spoken as if she wished to use a more colorful phrase, but was too polite to do so.

Zanth said, "Fair enough, I've seen more of this like than I'd like." With that, Zanth started to head out.

As the three continued down the hall of the building, they were soon cut off by two mechanical soldiers barring their path.



"Terminate the intruders," the soldiers spoke in unison with hollow voices.



"Terminate the intruders," two more echoed from behind on the other side of the hall.

It appeared they were surrounded.

"More mindless drones," Dzara commented in her icy tone, "one would think they'd learn by now."


~~~~~~~~~~~
Dzara rolls Swiftness
~ 1 + 4 Swiftness + 5 God Speed = 10 total
~~~~~~~~~~~

The member 'Dzara' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 1

Zanth says, "Not likey, but no sense arguing that fact."


~ Zanth rolls Swiftness check ; result = 13
~ 13 + 4 God Speed + 2 Swiftness = 19 Total

The member 'Zanth' has done the following action : Roll Dice:

'd20' : 13

Blade still out, Mr Pinstripe's smile slowly widened like that of a jack-o-lantern, his outline seeming to waver in the dim lighting as he stood there otherwise motionless.

~~~~~~~
Mr Pinstripe rolls Swiftness
~ 3 + Swiftness 16 + Speed Demon 4 + God Speed 5 = 28 total

Cogs roll Swiftness
~ 9 + Swiftness 7 = 16 total

Turn Order
1st ~ 28 - Pinstripe
2nd ~ 19 - Zanth
3rd ~ 16 - Cogs
4th ~ 10 - Dzara

Pinstripe activates Animate Shadow
~~~~~~~