Awards Killing Game 2x2: Moon of Hope (Game Thread) - Night 3 - Gadd's Labs, Double Darkvision
- Thread starter Superchao
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Lulu Azhal
Koopa Troopa
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- She/her
Take a look at the train for its controls. Is it completely automated or does it need a conductor inside to run.
Lulu Azhal
Koopa Troopa
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- She/her
How easy is it to manually disable the safety. If I can't tell directly, I'll ask Mona if she can show me.
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- MarioWiki
- Turboo
...
Thank you.
Fascia has the important parts of my brain. I've made a lot of lesions in the frontal lobe. You should credit her instead.
You said you wanted to see Fascia earlier, but she's still not complete. Still, I have enough of the hippocampus to remember that you were nice to me, so you can have first entry to her inaugurazione.
Tonight, I'm sad about Winter. He was nice, too. Fascia wanted to be friends with him, but we were too late... she's been taking a lot longer than I thought she would. That, and I wanted to properly know him.
I'd like to ask Vigil about the state of both Winter and Ratigan, and ask Tanner if there were any accomplices for either. I think that should help.
Lee Chaolan
Oh, excellent!
Lee Chaolan
Violet
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- He/him
- MarioWiki
- Hooded Pitohui
You killed the rat? Hss! He was one of the better sources of entertai~nya~ment here… and I was hoping to corner him somewhere and toy with him... The dragon, too? Nyeeeeh… Not much bloodlust in his musk, but he captured my image well… You'd kill them when that old coot in the shell's still wandering around?
Nyeh, there's always a nice frame waiting for him. Those geriatric ghost hunters adorn a wall nicely when set in shades of sepia. You're all eager to hear of my evening, I'm certain. I'll keep you in suspense no longer. Although… I concede that my night was not as… meowasterful as I anticipated…
Next time you in~furr~m me there's a treasure to be excavated, Suit, you'll make certain it's there.
I began my evening with a descent into the mag~nya~ificent basement. Someone alleged in her little damage reports the presence of a boulder in the Ceremonial Chamber, marked by an X. The whole structure sits atop a mine. Any stone that someone deigned to mark is bound to contain a valuable, no? I mag~nya~animously offered to collect the excavation equipment, so long as she dirtied her hands.
There's no finer place in this complex from which to purr~loin such equipment than within the Crystal Quarry and its Quarry Pit. Gaudy, if you ask me. Suited only to the nouveau riche décédé. Though given the eccentricities of our absent host, I'd stake a Laurel on those crystals concealing some classier artifact. I spent time inspecting them, but I was not to be alone. Lyra recognized their potential as well, entering and attempting to shatter that central crystal! Nyahahaha, you all should have witnessed her violence! A shame her efforts were in vain. Tell you what, take a Daric for saving me the sweat~!
I ventured to the Roundhouse, where my associate and I were to meet. There's no reason I should spend the whole night encumbered with excavation equipment! En route, I caught MCD emerging from the Tree Roots. You must regale me another time with tales of your house. I don't believe I've had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of… a single relation of yours… Strange…
Regardless, as I dropped the equipment in the Roundhouse, Lyra entered. She only began inspecting the minecarts… I anticipated an attempt on my half-life… Though I suppose there are others better to stain my claws… Brilliant as she is, she's rather… sloshy…
Speaking of sloshing, great work draining that lake, nyahaha! The fish were delectable, but what you've uncovered is far more valuable - additional square footage! It did force me to second-guess my plans for the evening, though… I knew the obvious paths to the lake would have killers lying in wait. Listen. Do you hear it? The dragon's speaking up to tell me my intuition was entirely right! I took a circuitous route, climbing to the second floor to descend via the Termi~nya~l…
And wouldn't you know it? One of you had rigged the Termi~nya~l and its access with traps! To first be drenched, then to be sliced by some pedestrian blade, how in~furr~iating! If you intend to make an attempt on me, have the courtesy to do it in purr-son! Nyeeeh… what I was subjected to is humiliating… When I get my claws on the culprits, you'll rue this stain on my appearance! I'll cleave you to-!
……
…giving you free publicity for humiliating me. What am I doing? What's it matter? You're the ones who truly lose. Watch your backs in the dark corners of the complex, or I'll watch them for you~. If I had to hazard a guess, the cloaked figure leaving the Snowy Grounds to the south before my descent bears responsibility. Hsss! The chill of the air outside won't compare to the chill you feel on the back of your neck, I guarantee.
…regardless, I proceeded to the former lake, where I… politely requested the services of an Ice Elemental. After securing its coo~purr~eration, I returned through the Train Exhibit. If any attempts were made on me at this point, I could flash-freeze my assailant! Fortunately, I had no cause for concern. By that time, the train had already sliced the dragon.
My business was elsewhere, so I left his carcass be and ascended to the Nautical Exhibit. I left from there to the Smokehouse. I had devised an ingenious trap. I- Nyah? Why do I get to set traps when I expect others to kill me purr-sonally? That's… It's because… The reason's… Just don't mind that!
The point is, I collected an irritating and toxic plant from the grounds, and set it to burn in the Smokehouse. Under normal circumstances, the smoke would escape through the flue, but with a plug made of ice, toxic smoke could accumulate! Nyahahaha! The room's heat would have melted away the ice, clearing the smoke out before you could investigate it! Brilliant, isn't it?
I set the trap, then departed for the Hollow Tree. While on the way, MCD pulled me into the Parlor. Quite the conversationalist, aren't you? We exchanged pleasantries and conversed late into the night, after which we both descended the Hollow Tree. He exited at the first floor while I carried on to the basement.
There, I met with the Suit at the Roundhouse. She led me to the Ceremonial Chamber, where… there was nothing at all! Nyeeeeh, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this time… With the spirits around here, there's likely at least one illusionist… Next time, however…
Well, what's there to say after that? I returned to my room, and she to hers. Could've done with a more successful evening…
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- Roserade
We've spent three nights in each other's company now... And this job keeps requiring me to talk to all of you... This really is a nightmare...
I would not call tonight a night of successes. I had two ideas in mind, and neither worked out. Thankfully, I couldn't submit a shift report even if I wanted to. There's no cell service out here, and I haven't found a fax machine.
The first thing I did was visit the room of the recently-deceased Reigen. This might come across as unprofessional, but if there were any blueprints of Gadd's inventions sitting around, they deserved to be in safe hands. After raiding it, I left through the Aviation Exhibit and passed Lash on the way. Please stop making those sultry eyes at me, sir. I will contact an HR representative.
I made my way outside to the Icy Lake and went to slide down the ice tunnel. Lyra will have seen as such. Down there, I loaded up a shotgun as self-protection and stored that on my person. That thief, Lupin, sprung out of the tunnel and into the Z-Gate as I was doing so.
The Z-Gate... such an odd creation. Gadd was practically inviting all manner of spirits to phase through and haunt his home. How was he ever going to resell when a daemon is at his door?
I did step into it myself, however. You see, there have been some curious things about plants in this building. Between the tree, the key-shaped beanstalk, and the elusive Crimson Eye flower... While in the Paranormal, I tried following below the root system to find any signs of where some of these plants might lead to. I only got a vague sense of direction, though. Nothing very clear otherwise.
Stepping back out of the same Z-Gate, I saw Ratigan sliding down the ice chute, before I started out through the Hydro Generators. I went through the Maintenance Hub, then the Roundhouse, where Victor was looking around.
Ms. Porticia was correct about us having a shared excavation plan for the mysterious boulder in the Ceremonial Chamber, which required getting past the suits of armor. The shotgun was a good help for that. In the Chamber itself, I saw King Blocky Boo, and we talked briefly... when partway through, we heard an explosion somewhere from the south. I guess that's yet another incident for the damages report...
And of course, as you heard, the boulder was completely absent from the Chamber, leaving me without plans and looking foolish when Ms. Porticia arrived. Another idea down the drain. I should leave this "lore hunting" to the rest of you people...
The two of us went back to our separate rooms after that. What a waste of resources.
And now we've lost a member of a royal family and a rich business entrepreneur in one night... My contractors are really not gonna like this...
Cloudwalker
Flower (Wo)Man
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- She/her
"I've got a little bone to pick with somebody today. Yesterday was just... y'know, this goddamn bucket helmet is stupid. Lemme just take this piece of junk off..."
"That's MUCH better. Yeah, yeah, the mask's off, yada yada. BIG DEAL, only happens when I am ABSOLUTELY livid because it normally keeps me in line, yada yada yada, you get the picture. And I AM absolutely LIVID, because I was almost forced out of LIVING last night, and ONE OF YOU ALL IS RESPONSIBLE. There's no joke about targeting the joker. For now there's TWO murders for us to investigate, because the big greedy marshmallow wasn't PLEASED with our past performance, but the SECOND I get some free time to find whoever sent THAT after me, I will leave NO STONE UNTURNED. And when I find you... oh, when I find YOU... well, I'll give you a punchline for your sick joke, rest assured."
"Anyhow! Gotta recount my night. Quite a doozy! Hope you like the walking dead, because that's nothing to laugh about. Believe me, I'd know."
"At dusk, I thought I'd go assist the LOVELY groundskeeper who'd done a GREAT JOB of leaving the dead resting with digging another two graves. It seems the raised from the dead guy didn't think to make sure nobody else would be RAISED FROM THE DEAD. THANK YOU, Vigil! A great service indeed! Anyway, I wanted to get those bond points or whatever you call those, so I walked on down to the graveyard through the Studio, where the skinny boy who I think was named Lupin was grabbing whatever bullshit he wanted. I had just reached the cemetery when I heard a faint noise from beneath the soil. Curious on what it was, I planted my shovel in the dirt and unearthed the purple mass that was once the mechanic turned murderer Thanos. Thought there was something on him making a noise, but I couldn't find anything, so I turned around when he GOT TO HIS FEET, SNAPPED HIS HEAD TO FACE ME, AND STARTED RUNNING. Wonderful! I have to survive not only the LIVING, but the LIVING DEAD!"
"And, to make the HORRIBLE MATTERS EVEN WORSE, SOMEHOW, a freaky machine thing was coming STRAIGHT FOR ME, having emerged from the Garage with some cloaked fellow. ISN'T THAT SWELL? I managed to duck under the bot, which IGNORED Thanos (Corpse) and kept going past. 'Course, I didn't stick around to see where it went off to, because the PURPLE PERVERSION OF NATURE WAS STILL GIVING CHASE. SO COOL. SO, SO COOL. I ran into the open Garage afterwards, sprinting through the Study and West Hallway. Think I saw that flaming rat guy along the way somewhere. Oh, and Winter. The one guy left that I could debatably call a friend in this sick, twisted game! He was strolling into the Gloomy Bedrooms! Last I saw him. Yay! Fun! Didn't even say GOODBYE to the lizard. Isn't this game just so much FUN?"
"After that, the big violet brute was STILL on my tail! Because why not! Thought if I changed floors, I'd be able to lose the charging carcass in Tree Roots, but he ran STRAIGHT PAST THE WITCH PERSON AS SHE CAME UPSTAIRS, STILL AFTER ME. HOORAY! Luckily, I'd prepared for if I needed to get away from someone. Didn't expect to have to use it because a MAGGOT-INFESTED WARLORD was after me, but ANYTHING GOES IN THIS HELLISH PLACE. I ran into the Crypt that I checked out on our first night and ducked into one of the many caskets in the resting place, closing the lid as best I could. And you know WHAT? It... well, semi-worked. The corpse ran after me into the room and probably smelled me or something, so it CLOSED THE DOORS OFF WITH MORE COFFIN LIDS. I WAS TRAPPED WITH THE LITERALLY ROTTEN KILLER. I ended up spending the night in that room. Which did not smell very good, by the way. It was PUTRID. THANKS, ANONYMOUS NECROMANCER."
"Coffins are NOT FUN TO SLEEP IN. MY BACK HURTS. I am SO STRESSED. I do NOT recommend it. Unless you're the guy who sent the robot murderer or ROTTING murderer after me. In which case, I hope you'll be taking a nice nap in one! Forever! Wouldn't THAT be funny?"
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- Fun With Despair
What the...?
(...Note to self, initial documentation has been rendered inaccurate by revelation of formerly unknown amorphous form and unknown capabilities. Updated Anomaly records required ASAP.)
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- He/him
The- the- the- the prince?!? First Thanos loses all constitution at the first opportunity and lies to my face about it, and- and now this? Does no one understand the implications here? Does no one care? The few among us with- with a proper head on their shoulders keep losing said head! Was the prince really such a threat to you... whoever you are? Was- was it worth playing right into the hands of treacherous undead?
If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted all this. I'd have half a mind to leave you to your own devices, if that's- if that's what you wish, if not for my own personal integrity as a premier ghost hunter and paranormal researcher.
Don't- don't get me wrong, I will still gladly collaborate with any of the living who have enough brains to understand the true gravity of this situation. But my patience is- is wearing very thin with most of you!
Night 3 of the Grand Experiment
In traditional folklore, jack-o-lanterns are used to ward away the presence of unwanted spirits. To that end, I have concocted a new plan to trap the so-called monarch by procuring a large quantity of jack-o-lanterns which we can use to corral him. I went to the Kitchen for a carving knife, encountering MCD. My trip to the Greenhouse afterward was entirely uneventful. The vastness of this complex lends itself to extended periods of solitude, especially as our numbers continue to dwindle. It's very eerie, and that's saying something for a location confirmed to have a red-class haunting among others.
During the carving operation, Prince Winter visited and entrusted me with the care of his laptop computer. I must take great care to safeguard its data from the undead and other unsavory characters roaming the complex until he requests its return. He then left to the west. Upon completion, I began transporting the jack-o-lanterns back towards my room for later use, just as Luke Atmey came in from the west. As I arrived back at the Old Bedrooms, I heard some sort of unknown commotion coming from the Container Yard.
For my next order of business, I had hoped to solve the mystery of the fountain once and for all. I went to the basement for a shovel, only spotting Subject Porticia entering the Roundhouse during my time there. I then made my way out to the Clockwork Courtyard, finding that someone else had already been digging. My own investigation uncovered that the large gears connect to the central pedestal, and the northwest and southwest gears are labeled IV and III, respectively. During the search, Lulu came from the Jungle Grounds and Lash from the Icy Grounds to join in. Unfortunately, I was unable to uncover any gold artifacts to put in the fountain. Retiring for the night, I passed Lee Chaolan in the Chalet on my way to bed.
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- Roserade
Now that we're aware that the detonation took place in one of the sewer pipes... Let's look closer and ensure that the structural integrity is sound.
Could I also examine the Maintenance Hub and Pit Mine?
- MarioWiki
- Fun With Despair
I'm getting really tired of having to recount every last detail of my night - even if 60% of it was a lie last night. I've got so many reports to finalize, and thanks to this workload I'll never dig myself outta this paperwork pile…
Kyeh… Well, I didn't kill anyone this time at least. I didn't even make an attempt. I'm done with that life now. Been there, done that. Besides, I'm already swimming in "lore", what's one night where I can't show off a bunch of documents? Not that I found any anyway. Instead, I thought my time would be best spent investigating a number of threads I'd uncovered in my previous scientific explorations. That's why, when I woke up, I went down to the Workshop to get myself a screwdriver - to attempt a full dismantling of the camera out by the Canyon.
I can't say I saw anything worth my time on this particular venture, just Lee going to the tree, Coral Glasses going to the lake, and Porticia on her way to the basement, where I assume she spent the majority of her time, seeing as I ran into her later on. I went down the Canyon, of course, just like before - but when I tried to touch the camera…
I was suddenly in the Solarium! Kyahaha, Dr. Zooks' experiments don't seem to end with just ghost portals after all - this teleporter is the real deal! Not that teleportation is a particularly rare technology in this day and age, but the compact form factor of this particular camera-based device is at least somewhat noteworthy. Compact teleportation devices such as the Bureau's patented "capture modules" tend to break after a single use, so if I can figure out how this works… Kyeheheh… Not bad, Gadd. Not bad…
Anyway, I didn't uh… actually want to be in the Solarium, so I warped back to the Canyon via the corresponding camera and climbed back up.
Porticia had the right idea with the basement, I thought, so I took a dive in the Fountain and popped out in the Hydro Generators. Saves me the trouble of taking that slow-ass elevator, kyahaha! Like I said, she had the same general plan as I did - kind of - so we both found ourselves in the Crystal Mine. Unfortunately, she was thinking small-time, just hammering away at the crystals here and there. My eyes were on the prize. I took up a sledgehammer and took a swing at the central crystal, but… the thing was rock solid. Unknown mineral composition. Not… ideal, no.
Well, the two of us went to the Roundhouse and the Pit Mine after that. I don't know if I've ever talked about her before, probably not, but that Porticia knows what she's doing. Great minds think alike, and apparently the two of us were perfectly in tune. If I didn't have an… unfortunate track record with my research assistants, I'd almost be tempted to offer her a job. Equally unfortunate is the fact that she seems like a backstabbing criminal - and y'know, glass houses and throwing stones and all that - but it's gonna be a contributing factor in why I don't offer her the position.
Well, I moved some minecarts around between here and the Pit Mine, just to see if anything'd happen, and that's when I spied this interesting little inscription under one of the carts:
The Fountain's secret is hard to see,
But upon these hallowed grounds it be.
To find the Shard and prove your worth,
The moonlit grave, you must unearth.
Hey, don't ask me what it means. You can go look at it yourself if you care. I've had enough of that Fountain for one lifetime. Whatever secrets lie in that general area, I'll leave that up to you. It's called collaborative research, and I'm going to collaborate somewhere I'm not going to end up almost boiled alive.
I had one more potential venue for exploration though. The elevator shaft seemed like it extended much deeper than the necessary calculated depth required to provide a safe landing on B1F. I took my ladle and dumped as much water as I could into the shaft, then went back to the Hydro Generators and hopped in the water.
Of course… it was simple, natural even, to navigate the hidden waterways beneath the surface of that which we can perceive, and I found my way to the newly-created pool at the bottom. B99F… I wonder if the other 97… 98? Floors between here and there have anything to them, or if Gadd just… dug really, really deep. It wouldn't be the first facility with an ancient buried secret far below the earth, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Well, that's if there was anything down there - and there wasn't! Just some button marked with one of those astrology symbols.
I looked for something, anything else, but outside of an explosion that I felt shake the earth from somewhere above, I came up with zero results. I suppose the explosion was what knocked off rat boy, but I don't really know what happened there. I'm not an exterminator, after all - though there's a surprising abundance of rat-based Anomalies between the radio and the vending machine and the… Well, I'm not shedding any tears, if you know what I mean! Kyahaha!
In the name of discovery, I decided I'd press the button before I left but… yeah, nothing. Didn't seem to have any effect on anything, so I dove back through the water to the Kitchen upstairs, where…I…
Where… I…
[CONTROL OVERRIDE ENGAGED]
//:Another conversation was held with the subject currently referring to itself as "King Blocky Boo". I saw fit to inform him of the story relayed by "Prince Winter" regarding his history and origins. The subject displayed little recognition for the intricacies of the story, but claimed that it made "something ring at the back of his head". Curious, curious.
His assistance continues to be of some significant value to our research, and yet… He wishes to possess each shard for himself, including any that this operative unearths. This is obviously untenable, considering the ultimate goal of obtaining an artifact of Esoteric power from this world - yet if the Dark Moon's power can be replicated, or in the instance that an artifact of greater power can be discovered, there is little reason to resist this entity's goals. His cooperation, at least in the current instance, is of great value.
…Greater power… The Sun Stone… Perhaps, perhaps… ://
[CONTROL OVERRIDE DISENGAGED]
Kyeh... after our… meeting… I just went back to bed. I took the Kitchen waterway through to the Plant Nursery and went straight to the Old Bedrooms.
I never saw that Lizard even once, not even after he'd been turned into ground beef by the train. Kyahaha, it's almost sad that I never got the chance to do it myself, to lay him down on the dissection table and slice and pull. Imagine how pathetic you have to be, to be a biiiig scary Anomaly like him, with dominion over ice and snow and everything… and you spend all that time, effort, and energy on little more than genuine kindness!
Ha! Kyahaha.. Ha… What was… wrong with him anyway? How stupid… do you have to be?
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- Superchao
- Thread starter
- #414
It looks like you'd just have to get in there and push a few buttons. Anyone could do it, but it requires being present in the train to do so.
"Well, I don't know about Vigil's stuff. But both of these were solo runs. Good on 'em."
You check the sewer. While one of the pipes is permanently damaged, the place itself looks like it won't fall apart any time soon.
You examine the Maintenance Hub. A hammer and a stake are both missing. Otherwise, nothing is out of place.
You examine the Pit Mine. The large gate that was blocking the end of the track has been lowered. It looks like you can now push minecarts along the track into the spiralling abyss below.
A minecart with a large lump of iron, looking almost like a meteorite, sits on the tracks in the Pit Mine.
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- Roserade
Can I look at the iron with a closer eye? Is there any damage to it, does it seem like a composite of other iron sources, or is it just one smooth lump?
Look closer at the broken battery and wires. Do they seem like they would have some sort of clear connection point?
Is it possible to follow the Sewer pipes in either of their directions - towards the storage tank, or into the wastewater deposit? If so, look closer at both water deposits
Look closer at the broken battery and wires. Do they seem like they would have some sort of clear connection point?
Is it possible to follow the Sewer pipes in either of their directions - towards the storage tank, or into the wastewater deposit? If so, look closer at both water deposits
Lulu Azhal
Koopa Troopa
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- She/her
Check Winter's head wound, and compare it against, say, a shovel, a bat, a pipe, and then to just being hit by the train before being knocked over
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- Superchao
- Thread starter
- #417
The iron looks like a single, solid lump, as if it was formed in that exact way.
They do not appear to have any defined connection points.
You cannot follow them from this room, thanks to the gates. You'd need to figure out where they go.
It looks closer of these to a pipe.
Lulu Azhal
Koopa Troopa
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- She/her
Is it a close match to a pipe? Or is that still off?
Lash
Boosh.
Rat found dead in sewer? No kidding. But that is NOT how you train your dragon.
We're really dropping like flies now, huh? Or rats. Or...dragons. Didn't realize we had a whole zoo here...yunno, if zoos had dragons.
Anyway, I had a few things I wanted to check out last night. Started out poking around the Aviation Exhibit, trying to find something that could connect it to that puzzle I found the other night. No dice though, just saw Four Eyes (Coral Glasses) pass through to the exit. I checked out the Space Exhibit for the same reason, with about as much luck. The Lash might need some help with this one.
I headed out to the Clockwork Courtyard after that, where I did some digging around for anything shiny n' gold. All I found was some metal roads under the sand, and a metal broad (Albina) passing by. I showed her my guns and she went inside; couldn't handle the firepower. I took a break to do a lap of the facility, counter-clockwise-like, to...you knoooow, have a look around. Didn't see anybody on my walk though, just...ugh. When I circled around to the Snowy Grounds, some giant slimy thing was there. Listen, the Lash has experience with goo, and it's an experience he'd rather forget. The thing started oozing toward me and I roundhouse kicked it outta sight. Good riddance.
When I circled back to the Clockwork Courtyard, I saw I had some helpers now. Dr. Grabbyghoul and the out-of-season trick-or-treater were here, and they'd uncovered more of those metal pipes connecting the central pedestal to the five gears on the outside. Took a look at the southeast gear and saw it has a V on it. Still nothing gold though, so I decided to try plan B and just drop AURUMDESIRE in the fountain instead - I mean, it is gold. Then I headed inside, passed some mysterious cloaked guy in the Foyer, and popped into the Metal Lab. Wanted to do some research on how I can make this stupid gold thing actually recognize me as its owner. Hit up the Drafting Office and Study after that, and saw that weird purple guy Victor in the latter. Went beddy-bye after that.
We're really dropping like flies now, huh? Or rats. Or...dragons. Didn't realize we had a whole zoo here...yunno, if zoos had dragons.
Anyway, I had a few things I wanted to check out last night. Started out poking around the Aviation Exhibit, trying to find something that could connect it to that puzzle I found the other night. No dice though, just saw Four Eyes (Coral Glasses) pass through to the exit. I checked out the Space Exhibit for the same reason, with about as much luck. The Lash might need some help with this one.
I headed out to the Clockwork Courtyard after that, where I did some digging around for anything shiny n' gold. All I found was some metal roads under the sand, and a metal broad (Albina) passing by. I showed her my guns and she went inside; couldn't handle the firepower. I took a break to do a lap of the facility, counter-clockwise-like, to...you knoooow, have a look around. Didn't see anybody on my walk though, just...ugh. When I circled around to the Snowy Grounds, some giant slimy thing was there. Listen, the Lash has experience with goo, and it's an experience he'd rather forget. The thing started oozing toward me and I roundhouse kicked it outta sight. Good riddance.
When I circled back to the Clockwork Courtyard, I saw I had some helpers now. Dr. Grabbyghoul and the out-of-season trick-or-treater were here, and they'd uncovered more of those metal pipes connecting the central pedestal to the five gears on the outside. Took a look at the southeast gear and saw it has a V on it. Still nothing gold though, so I decided to try plan B and just drop AURUMDESIRE in the fountain instead - I mean, it is gold. Then I headed inside, passed some mysterious cloaked guy in the Foyer, and popped into the Metal Lab. Wanted to do some research on how I can make this stupid gold thing actually recognize me as its owner. Hit up the Drafting Office and Study after that, and saw that weird purple guy Victor in the latter. Went beddy-bye after that.