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Scene 1: Geneforge Series Forum

Scene 1: Geneforge Series Forum

The Spiderwebbers enter the Geneforge Series Forum with the noobs right on their heels. A blast of hot wind hits them the moment they enter. Dust and grit blows into their eyes, mouths, noses, and everywhere else. The Geneforge forum is a flat, hot, barren desert. The noobs quickly gain on the exhausted Spiderwebbers and the Spiderwebbers soon find themselves fighting as they run. Redstart is tripped by a noob. He is overwhelmed and killed by the noobs so quickly he doesn't have a chance to make a peep. Arancaytar puts Redstart on the list.

Arancaytar: We need some way to push back the noobs.

Delicious Vlish looks surprisingly calm.

Delicious Vlish: Just need to get a little bit closer...

Arancaytar: What? Are you feeling okay, Vlish?

Delicious Vlish: Look ahead.

Just a short way ahead, there is a line of charged-up pylons. Just behind the pylons stands Croikle.

Arancaytar: They look like they are about ready to fire. Get down, everyone!

The Spiderwebbers immediately fall flat as the pylons fire bolts of magical energy. Almost all of the front ranks of the noobs are killed in the blasts. The Spiderwebbers crawl to safety as the pylons continue to fire. Once safely behind the pylons, they stand up and look around. There is a large pile of supplies, a healing pool, an essence pool, and a pillar nearby. Eventually, the noobs retreat so that they are outside the pylon range.

Arancaytar: Good work, Croikle. That's the first time I've ever been happy to see a pylon.

Croikle: I have some new items. No doubt you are low on supplies. Most of them are pretty basic, but there are a few good items.

Many Spiderwebbers crowd around the essence and healing pools. Others sort through the supply pile for chitin armor, bronze swords, and thorn batons. Delicious Vlish, however, is interested in the pillar.

Delicious Vlish: What does it do?

Croikle: It is the source of all my power. And it also emits a calming influence on everyone.

Delicious Vlish: I thought so.

Croikle hands Arancaytar, Kelandon, and Khoth each a shaped blade. Slartucker examines a thorn baton closely.

Slartucker: How many thorns do you have, Croikle? We'll run out of them quickly.

Croikle: Not many. Fortunately, thorns do grow on bushes. I just need to find someone to pick them. There are still a few newbs and lurkers left, right?

Slartucker: Yeah. Three newbs and eight lurkers. If there's even that many left.

Croikle: I'll ask them to pick the thorns.

Croikle walks off. Delicious Vlish stands just in front of the pylons and taunts the noobs.

Delicious Vlish: Silly noobs! One of my tentacles has more intelligence than all of you combined!

The noobs ponder the insult for a good long while before finally looking angry and screaming idiotic threats back. But they don't charge forward. Slartucker passes by Ephesos, who is sitting by the essence pool with a pile of pods nearby.

Slartucker: What are you doing?

Ephesos: Resting. The healing pool can take care of most injuries. Croikle gave me some restoration and curing pods for the injuries that it can't heal.

The forum darkens suddenly. The wind picks up. Zephyr Tempest looks up.

Zephyr Tempest: Look at all those clouds! It looks like we're about to be hit by a storm.

Suddenly, Arancaytar collapses.

Khoth: Aran!

Spiderwebbers rush over. Arancaytar sits up, holding his head.

Ephesos: What happened?

Arancaytar: All the lurkers just died, as did Wanderer and the Lurker.

Ephesos: All of them? At the same time?

Arancaytar: Pretty much.

Arancaytar winces again.

Arancaytar: And Dintiradan died as well. I think I need to go rest for a while.

Dikiyoba: Not Dintiradan!

Ephesos: The Tech Support Forum is a quiet place.

Arancaytar: Thanks. I think I'll go there.

Arancaytar stands up and exits. Suddenly, there is a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder almost directly overhead. Huge drops of rain pour down. The dust quickly turns to slippery mud. Delicious Vlish makes obscene gestures with his tentacles.

Delicious Vlish: Silly noobs! Take that!

The noobs suddenly charge forward. Delicious Vlish quickly scuttles a safe distance behind the pylons. The other Spiderwebbers get ready for the attack. The pylons kill many noobs but the rest keep coming forward. Soon, the noobs draw level with the pylons and start attacking them.

Kelandon: Back up, Spiderwebbers! That pylon is about to crumble!

The Spiderwebbers back out of the way quickly. The pylon collapses, sending a cloud of poisonous gas into the air. Many noobs choke on it and die. The rest continue to charge forward. Lightning flashes overhead again, followed almost immediately by thunder. The first noobs break free of the pylons. Infernal666hate shoots a noob with a thorn baton.

Infernal666hate: What makes them so determined to kill themselves while killing us?

One by one, the pylons crumble and the noobs run forward. The Spiderwebbers shoot them with thorns, pausing only to reload. In the confusion, no one notices that a furtive figure carrying a rattling box steps out of the noob army and slips past the Spiderwebbers.

Slartucker: I'm almost out of thorns! Where's Croikle with more?

Khoth: He's over there!

Khoth points to a field of small bushes where about a dozen figures are working. Slartucker runs over there. Croikle is watching the last few newbs and lurkers pick thorns off of the bushes and put them into small basket.

Slartucker: We need more thorns!

Croikle: Take all the thorns you need. The newbs are picking as fast as they can.

Even as Slartucker and Croikle speak, the figure passes them. The newbs and lurkers notice it, however, and stop picking.

Newb: Who are you? And what's in the box.

Spawner: I am Spawner. This box here will, er, improve your lives. Haven't you noticed that the Spiderwebbers forced you to fight? That they let all of your friends die? And that now they are forcing you to do their labor? Haven't you noticed?

Lurker: Er...

Spawner: Apparently not. But it's all true. Allow me to pass freely and I will use the box to ensure that newbs and lurkers are never mistreated ever again. Just be patient for a little while longer, my friends.

Spawner walks on. The lurkers and newbs allow it to go. It exits the forum just as Croikle looks over.

Croikle: Hey! Why have you stopped?

Lurker: Because we're tired.

Croikle: There's no time to be tired now. Keep picking! We need more thorns!

The newbs and lurkers grumble but continue picking. Slartucker grabs several baskets of thorns and runs back to the battle. He hands them out. Inthrall goes down when two noobs jump on him. Dikiyoba stabs the noobs and drags Inthrall over to Ephesos. Zephyr Tempest slips in the mud. He gets up quickly and spits out mud and rainwater disgustedly. The battle and the downpour continue.