Morbquest - Road to Hell

[] We should find something else to eat. A nice cheesecake, perhaps?

"Right, Michael?" Lucien's concerned face peeks from the corner of your vision as you rise from your hunched position.

"Mmm. Yeah. Cheese... Cake." You drop the bag of blood, wiping the residue off your hands on the wall.

"You want to eat cheesecake?" He shakes his head, scoffing. "Not sure our host has a bakery, but let's go and see what we can find, then."

You nod. He tilts his head to the exit, and so you follow.

"It's remarkable how much you've changed in just a short time, Michael." Lucien turns to you while trodding along with his crutches. "We had a rhythm when walking together, peas in a pod, us two. Remember the time when we went to Hawaii? You hated walking on the sand so much, I had Robert help you around!"

Robert... Food?

You shake your head, un-baring your teeth. "Mm. Those times." The hallway ends in an elevator, which you go and call up ahead of Lucien. Those cheesecakes won't wait for you.

"Really, Michael, I'm happy for your improvements, but I'm also worried this might have changed something about you."

He's just being coy. Eat him! Fewer annoyances. "Yeah! It's good, really." You pat your stomach, to which Lucien gives you a side-eye.

"I'll... let's just go to... the pantry? Maybe they have other confectionary treats, help your blood sugar and whatnot. I'm sure you know more about that than I do."

You hum, eyes glazing over as the lift doors close, gently lowering you two.. "Mmmmmmmmmmm..."

The silence between you two hangs for nary a dozen seconds as the DING opens the elevator to reveal an empty kitchen across from you, decor the same as the storage, bland and as sanitized as one can hope. No signs of struggles means the pantry must be undisturbed! Yes!

A sniff in the air confirms that there are indeed cakes in the vicinity. Relaying this information to Lucien makes him give you more side-eye, but you ignore it. This'll definitely calm down that grumbling gremlin gnawing at the back of your brain.

With a rush of air, you surge forth, the saccharine scent wafting that is the sugar put in the baked goods section flowing into your nostrils. The kitchen doors swing open with ease, with you leaving Lucien in the dust as you search for the forbidden snacks. Left turn, right turn. Sniffing the air, you let your instincts guide your movements deeper into this maze, slightly larger than you'd have imagined.

That thought doesn't really faze you as hallways pass by in a blurry haze, with the gem of your search the only thing clear in your mind's eye: cake.

There it was, lying right on a pedestal. Well, a portable display counter, likely used for fancy parties or to entertain other guests with treats and confectioneries local and foreign. Hanging there by its lonesome, in a dimly lit room, a closet of sorts.

Lick lick, goes your lips. Yum!

"A good reward for a Morb..." You say, intoxicated by the aroma of the desert, now overwhelming. It must be consumed before it consumes you!

Heeding the thoughts feeding through your mind, you lift up the cover and knock it over a counter with a clang, mouth and fangs aiming right at the treat!

When the first bite goes off, you tense up, limbs striking their best coffin pose, eyes glazing over, and vision filling up with cake. You then roll over, tumbling onto the ground.

It's delicious. The cake. Soft and creamy, flakey bits dancing around your mouth. Muffled murmurs grow clearer as the gentle and warm textures of New York's Creamery Cafe expand into view. The pastel colors of the walls are contrasted by the fancy-looking metal seats with dark blue cushioning and off-white cafe tables. People sitting on benches, blowing and sipping on their teas and coffees, chatting up associates, tapping away on laptops.

"Really, Michael?" Lucien, dressed in a loose but stylish green fleece coat, says while spooning the drink in front of him. "Another venture? You're gonna run me ragged if this keeps up."

His smirk belies the idea that he had indeed read the relevant material for the project.

You, Michael Morbius, clear your throat and nod. "It's all in the brief, chief. My proposal will help Horizon Labs be at the forefront of science. It'll help people like me, like us."

Lucien sits up. "You mean you're close?"

"I wouldn't say close. The work is never over, it seems. Every new solution provides another dozen issues we'd need to circumvent."

"Cheeky paradox, there."

"Indeed. This is why this expansion would help with disseminating information, and getting more people involved. It'll be a great boost to the community at large, and with your aid, it'll bridge the gap between academic, research, and implementation."

"Centralized and decentralized databases, from what I recall." Lucien swirls his coffee, taking on a red tinge. "I'll need to get in touch with the IT department, see what their thoughts are. I like the vision. Nothing can go wrong with a bit more openness, yeah?"

The walls start taking on a pinkish hue. "Oh definitely. You won't regret this, Crown."

He chuckles. "Crown is my father. I'd prefer our relationship be more casual. Imagine if I just started calling you Morbius."

Morbius. The walls close in. Blood seeps from cracks forming in the walls.

You lean back, trying in vain to kick back, the seat and your legs only allowing you to tilt back awkwardly with your hands behind your head. "Wouldn't mind. Never really knew mine, so..."

"True. You know, we could... if you want, of course, find him. It's a matter of will, we have the resources, I'm sure."

Morbius. The ceiling grinds downwards, pushing the blood from the walls away to pool on the floor. Everyone goes about their day.

"Nah." You mutter under your breath.

"Sorry? Cafe's a mite loud, I'll say."

"I don't want that, he's made his choice, there's no reason to go after old ghosts. Maybe fate will have different plans, but I'm not chasing after anything. Not with these legs, at least."

Lucien shakes his head. "I hear you. There's always time to find closure after the important things are done, yeah?"

"You know me well, Lucien."

"Now, isn't that better, Michael?" His welcoming smile creeps up, but contorts with the space around you.

His voice is twisted, growling. Animalistic. Faces split, reposition, dissolve, then shatter. The blood flows now. You're alone, the tide rises, consuming the floor, seats, tables, cafe. Until everything is red.

You welcome it.

<>

Coming to, you shake your head and look left and right. It's dark. Faint red glows shine in the distance. You clamber up to your feet.

"Hello?" You call out into the room, a picture of the surfaces forming in your mind as each syllable bounces off and back into your ears. It's a stone-walled room, leading out into a hallway, with candles where the lights are. You 'see' bumps and outlines of various objects, but none of them feel dangerous. At least, that growling in your heart tells you so.

It's welcoming, the light. Transfixed by the flicker, you approach at a brisk pace, making note of the uneven stone floor beneath your feet.

It's frightening, the light. Inching closer, you find it almost blinding as you stare into it. You hesitantly pick it up, despite your hand reaching away the first try. Combining your senses with the light make it easier to discern what is going on in the room, and the ritual circles reveal themselves to you. Tomes upon shelves of bottles and oddities, containing items you recognize as body parts, and some you do not.

Mmmm... Some parts look enticing, one vial of blood in particular focusing all your attention. That's it, the blood! Stupid ideas like 'what is that', 'is that safe', and 'what is this place' fade into the background as the shimmering redness fills your vision. The taste of cheesecake lingers on your lips, the memories of New York. Of your old life. It all shines with a crimson hue as you pop the cork, and guzzle the contents down in one gulp.

It becomes immediately clear that this was indeed blood. Your consciousness is thrown forward and you start pondering on the slight gravelly tang to this sample of vital matter. Before you can come to a definitive conclusion on what it is, however, you hear a noise in the distance. And a mass moving along the ceiling just down another hallway.

Imperceptible, even to your enhanced senses, the mass makes the most faint noises when moving, like hundreds of minuscule needles prickling along aged stone. The folding of thousands of nerves stringed along the still air. A twitch, then before you can react, a flash of red light envelopes you, searing into your retinas and throwing you onto your back.

"Ugh, you." You look up. It's a spider. A spider lady. A lady with eight appendages sticking out of what appears to be her abdomen. Your considerable repertoire of anatomical knowledge didn't prepare you for this, and your instincts kick in, kicking the ground and thrusting you upright. You bare your teeth at her, staring her down while backing away step by step.

"So it's true, Morbius." Her voice hisses with a tinge of venom. "You've... 'Morbed'. It would've been interesting to work with you, but you've scorned our agenda for quite a bit. I suggest you run along and forget this all happened. Before you end up six feet under."

"Mmm..." You sputter, eyes and ears alert, nose gathering in the damp dungeon air. "I..."

Your morbin' energy flows through your veins. The blood speaks. It grants you a certain feeling deep down, causing your previous being to strip away, and something stronger, faster, better to step in...

Vitality: New stat. Represents Morbius's life power, and energy. Can be used up to fuel abilities, but draining Vitality at low levels will cause Frenzy rolls, potentially making him find something to eat to satiate and keep himself sane and morbin'!
Starts at 100.

• Lose 10 per day
• Die at 0 💀
• Values might change over time, iunno

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Rolls:

Eat d100 = 63 (Pass)
Encounter d100 = 20 (Fail)

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Time to FIGHT!
Plan voting!

Choose 1 NEW ability. Either choice will boost a roll that would otherwise fail and make it tie.
[][blood] Vascular Strain
Can spend Vitality to increase Might (STR) rolls.
[][blood] Metabolic Thrust
Can spend Vitality to boost velOcity (DEX) rolls.

Goal for this fight:
[][goal] Kill! Kill! Kill!
[][goal] Incapacitate this strange foe!
[][goal] Run away!
[][goal] Write-in?

[][vitality] Use Vitality (specify amount)
[][vitality] Don't use Vitality

[][notes] Write-in notes?

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Fight time! Plan voting, please! Hope everything goes well and y'all don't die!