Issue 16: Hobo Jesters Go To Portland When They Die

 In this issue: We catch up with our heroes after two years of adventuring! 

Cover art: Adam Rebottaro

Intro music: Mathew Mozzoni

Background music: Ian Fisher

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:30

Face front, true believers, we are back with another issue of the reboot, issue sixteen.

SPEAKER_07 0:38

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 0:39

We are officially uh out of volume three into volume four. How is everyone doing?

SPEAKER_07 0:47

It's doing great, very excited.

SPEAKER_09 0:50

Feeling like we just delivered the water chip back to Fantasy Town. And my my dog really wants me to take him somewhere in an airship so he can go piss.

SPEAKER_03 1:16

Uh that maybe wasn't the uh super heartfelt touching reunion that uh maybe was expected, but you know, uh Diana's got a lot to answer for.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 1:30

Um we learned that Ollie is infected with something.

SPEAKER_09 1:35

Pluto gave Ollie a disease. Sorry, we go.

SPEAKER_03 1:38

Yeah. Um and uh Pluto maybe learned a little bit more about themselves than they really wanted.

SPEAKER_09 1:47

Really, they learned more about themselves, but just enough to be unsatisfying. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:52

Instead of helpful. What we're kind of learning is that Diana isn't very good at what that what she's supposed to be doing.

SPEAKER_07 1:59

Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_03 2:00

It's not really it's not really her fault. She's not malicious or anything like that. She's just kind of She's just a deadbeat.

SPEAKER_09 2:06

She she got she got picked for the job, and you know, when you get picked for the job, they don't always pick the person most suited for it.

SPEAKER_03 2:13

Most suited for it.

SPEAKER_07 2:14

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 2:15

Yeah, they're kind of they kinda dumped a lot of expectations on her that she couldn't really fulfill, and um as a result, it's kind of left the three of you with maybe more questions than answers. You got some answers, but not really.

SPEAKER_09 2:32

I I do not believe that Gaia gives chal gives her hardest challenges to her strongest warriors, but I do believe that Gaia gives her challenges to whoever thinks it would be funniest.

SPEAKER_07 2:46

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 2:48

You've you might have a point there. Um so let's pick up uh where we left off. We will do our uh recap narration. Um, and then we'll we'll see where we are with that.

SPEAKER_09 3:03

Yeah, we'll be picking like right back where we left off. Like no time's past at all.

SPEAKER_03 3:07

Uh here is here is the recap. Two years later. Oh fuck!

SPEAKER_07 3:14

Oh shit! Oh no!

SPEAKER_03 3:17

Uh so things have gone from kinda weird to worse. Do you want to tell me what the three of you have been up to in the past two years? Oh god, how would we even start? Um, I can I can get you started on one thing here. Uh here's what you've told me, at least is that you three have been going on some adventures on your own.

SPEAKER_07 3:49

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 3:50

Uh, you have been going out into the world, exploring, you've been meeting people, you've been fighting bad guys, um, you've been helping the innocent.

SPEAKER_09 4:01

We've been solving problems.

SPEAKER_03 4:04

Solving problems, uh solving more problems than you're creating, which is a good thing.

SPEAKER_07 4:10

Um generally speaking, yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:13

Every day you hope it's a net positive.

SPEAKER_07 4:16

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 4:17

More more marks in the W column than the L column. That's all you can hope for. Um And then uh we won't get into the details now, but you did tell me there was something that happened about a year ago that maybe didn't go so great.

SPEAKER_07 4:38

Uh you know, uh how do you even start?

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Well, let's let's start at the ending, which is nobody is able to go to Yellowstone anymore.

SPEAKER_09 4:50

Mm-hmm. It's kind of uh the time bubble around Alexander in FF 14 situation at Yellowstone a little.

SPEAKER_03 5:01

There's uh there's a a there was an incident in Yellowstone that maybe didn't go so hot. No. Right. And because of the nature of the post-reboot world, a lot of the uh specifics about this incident are up for interpretation, we'll say.

SPEAKER_07 5:23

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 5:24

Uh there's a lot of mixed signals going on and some crosswires, um, and some details that may have been lost to time.

SPEAKER_09 5:35

Um there was a villain of some kind. Yes. And we tried to stop them, and maybe things got a little out of hand, and maybe Pluto got a little out of hand, but it's fine, um, because Rio fixed it.

SPEAKER_07 5:55

Right.

SPEAKER_09 5:56

Uh, and also King Arthur was there to help, and nothing else happened, probably.

SPEAKER_07 6:01

Everything went perfectly fine. Um It's not that you literally can't go to like a huge swath of Nash Yellowstone National Park anymore.

SPEAKER_09 6:15

Um And also it didn't it didn't have any it did not have any effect on like Rio's whole situation at all.

SPEAKER_07 6:24

No, totally.

SPEAKER_03 6:26

Um totally uh uh you know it's not like you have uh completely once again lost contact with your mother.

SPEAKER_07 6:41

Uh don't worry about it.

SPEAKER_03 6:43

Now the difference in this situation uh being that the last time Ryo and Diana spoke to each other, uh both of them were aware that it would be a while before they would speak again.

SPEAKER_07 6:53

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 6:54

And uh it was uh entirely mutual on both sides. This was an agreement they made, and it was not Diana just bailing again. Uh she has important work to do in a different location. Um and she said she would contact you when she was able to.

SPEAKER_07 7:10

Uh problem is that there is no contacting. Uh, it's fine.

SPEAKER_09 7:17

Um, but so okay, okay. So I I feel the need. Look, maybe as a part of getting Pluto under control and uh making sure that wouldn't be a problem again in the future, it might have come directly at the cost of something happening to Rio's voice.

SPEAKER_00 7:38

Yes.

SPEAKER_09 7:38

As in like the the the brain one that does things and not like literally her ability to speak. Right. But you know, we we handled it you can't make an omelet without breaking a few proto omelets.

SPEAKER_03 7:54

The situation is resolved.

SPEAKER_09 7:58

That's what we'll say.

SPEAKER_07 7:59

Definitely.

SPEAKER_09 8:01

And nobody, everybody has handled any anxieties and ambiguities they have surrounding that incident for sure.

SPEAKER_03 8:09

Right.

SPEAKER_07 8:10

Nobody got hurt after the thing of like nobody got hurt, and then on Wikipedia you just see one, two, three, four, five all in brackets next to it.

SPEAKER_09 8:25

The narration text box that says nobody got hurt has the thing that they put on videos on X now where it's a community note. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 8:42

Uh no, okay, nobody died in a way that can't be fixed eventually.

SPEAKER_07 8:52

Uh, we'll see.

SPEAKER_03 8:54

Maybe.

SPEAKER_07 8:54

Maybe.

SPEAKER_09 8:56

Nothing completely irrecoverable has been uh pinned to us yet. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 9:03

You know.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

Except you can literally see the plume from like six states away.

unknown 9:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:10

I mean, okay, that part's not our fault. Yeah, but you can see a lot of things from several states away, like the sun or the moon. So, you know. Like, yeah. There's a lot of there's a lot of things you can see that are far away that are good.

SPEAKER_09 9:26

So, like now look, here's the thing. Can you see the the time-frozen plume of of the Yellowstone explosion, like, from several states away? Yeah. But if we hadn't been there, you wouldn't be able to because you would have choked on volcanic dust and died.

SPEAKER_07 9:43

That's right. So, really, who's the bad guy here?

SPEAKER_09 9:47

Um, you should be thanking us. Ideally, with money or perhaps treats. Things Pluto actually says to people.

SPEAKER_05 9:55

Or with their mouth.

SPEAKER_03 9:58

You guys, you guys aren't on trial here because there is no uh uh legal jurisdiction in the country that can uh convict you of anything.

SPEAKER_07 10:05

Correct.

SPEAKER_09 10:08

All justice in the post-reboot world is trial by combat, and uh well, Pluto is uh innocent until proven guilty, let's say.

SPEAKER_07 10:14

Pluto's got that shit on lock.

SPEAKER_03 10:17

Um so things uh things were going pretty good and then they weren't. And uh long story short, a lot of people aren't happy with you anymore.

SPEAKER_09 10:30

No, and they don't they don't think about any of the other cool moments and experiences that we had, which will come up organically as we feel the need to mention them. But like, you know, we've been doing a lot of stuff that doesn't have anything to do with Yellowstone National Park.

SPEAKER_01 10:44

We just made a single oopsie that anybody can look outside their window and see the effects of.

SPEAKER_03 10:53

Yeah. Now, um I feel like we've we've gotten everyone kind of caught up to speed in that regard. Uh, at least as far as as is important for the rest of this narration. Um So there are some people who are still on your side. Let's be clear about that. Oh yeah. One of these people is uh an old friend of yours, uh by the name of Tobacco Slim. That's right, who uh has uh called for you, uh we shall say. And we are going to open on that as you are returning to the office district.

SPEAKER_09 11:38

Tobacco Slim still honors the old treaties.

SPEAKER_03 11:41

It has it has been some time since you've been there. Um and uh when you kind of started approaching uh it, the the people who were there were a little bit uh wary of you. Um but they're more uh concerned about the um sparkling crystalline explosions that are happening off in one of the parking lots.

SPEAKER_07 12:06

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 12:07

Uh and uh the uh howling cacklings of a maniacal madwoman.

SPEAKER_07 12:15

I mean, you know, yeah, that would be a little bit more immediately concerning.

SPEAKER_09 12:19

Yeah, we're in we're in the Denver area. I mean, I don't know if it's a good one. This sounds like a job.

SPEAKER_01 12:23

This sounds like a job for a rock Ollie picks up off the ground.

SPEAKER_00 12:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:27

You uh you approach, and before you can you can meet with Tobacco Slim, uh you are alerted by that by that commotion. You arrive on the scene of the parking lot just in time to see a a uh blonde woman in this resplendent, like uh refracting, glittery, crystalline dress, these aqua blue colors, uh aquamarine teal, uh kind of a gradient kind of shimmering. Um she's hovering a few feet off the ground. Uh, she's got these uh uh thin crystalline uh prisms kind of hovering around her, uh like she's controlling them telekinetically. Uh there's just glitter and sparkles everywhere. And on the ground in front of her, uh you can see Arthur. And you can see one of his companions, uh his former companions, uh Paige Turner, who you met uh as one of the members of the New Guardians.

SPEAKER_08 13:42

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:44

The uh sorceress who was uh able to allow you to trans uh transport you across uh the road.

SPEAKER_09 13:51

She used her she used her uh whatever they call that in uh Taoism, her Shikuchi, to move the car under a big old uh hunk of concrete.

SPEAKER_03 14:00

Uh both of them have been knocked out and um or not knocked out, but uh they're both on their knees, a little bit uh uh wounded. Um and uh the woman says uh she she kind of hovers in closer to the two of them and she says, Oh Arthur, did you really think you could replace me, Guinevere, with this fake Merlin of yours? And Arthur uh picks himself to his knees uh and he's he's leaning on his sword, and he says, For the last time, you are not Guinevere.

SPEAKER_07 14:49

It'd be a really good time to hit her with a rock now, Ollie. You think so? Yeah, I think so.

SPEAKER_08 14:56

I can if you won't.

SPEAKER_07 14:58

I love the idea this conversation is happening off screen, by the way. No one's actually seen us yet. You just see the car pulling like on panel.

SPEAKER_03 15:06

She has not seen you, no one has seen you yet because they're too focused on each other.

SPEAKER_07 15:10

Yeah, exactly. I'm saying like the car is pull, you know, the coach is pulling up on panel, you're seeing all this drama.

SPEAKER_09 15:16

Uh actually, Ollie, I could I could get one over on King Arthur if you just launched me at her.

SPEAKER_07 15:23

No, I mean not a bad way to you're always talking about interrupting people's monologues.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

I know, but guy guys, hold on a sec. I'm just and Ollie's just like Ollie seems to be just sort of lost in thought, like interacting with something on her shoulder. Before suddenly going, like, yeah, you know what, you're right. All right, Pluto, come on, let's go.

SPEAKER_03 15:45

All right.

SPEAKER_07 15:46

That's right. Uh Pluto explain what everybody looks like, by the way. Yes, go ahead.

SPEAKER_09 15:51

Describe your appearances now. Health, how have things changed in the past two years? Let's describe Ollie first, because this is like she's going to be in panel as Pluto enters panel to get in the fastball special position.

SPEAKER_01 16:03

So Ollie currently doesn't look too different. Um her hair is much longer. Um she has it in a kind of a high ponytail, but uh still has her obnoxious blinding bangs. Um and she's in kind of like a uh she's in kind of like a Jean Gray style bodysuit. So like very form-fitting, all black. Um very how to put it. She looks aggressively like the kind of psychic girl that you can't really um put on the front lines. She looks like Yeah. She got kind of like a Pokemon trainer kind of vibe. Um literally just like a black bodysuit with um like a purple trim here and there and like a shirt overneath, uh like over on top of it. Um and as she picks up um as she picks up Pluto her it appears that something is spiraling out of her arm in the same way Pluto's does before launching them into the air.

SPEAKER_09 17:19

We uh cut to the panel of Pluto flying through the air, uh looking a bit similar to uh prior appearances, uh, with some notable differences. Uh you might have noticed uh standing next to Ollie, while still shorter, is significantly taller than they used to be and a little more full, like fuller figured. They look like they've gained some muscle mass, uh, funnily enough. Um their horns have kind of turned down and forward, almost looking a little bit more like the mandibles of an antlion. And uh their limbs are notably have this kind of silvery insectile appearance that kind of like has sort of this common writer-ish, warframish thing going on as it sort of melds slowly into their still human-looking core body. Uh, their clothing of choice being a uh like white painter's jumpsuit tied around the waist and nothing else really. No shirt, no shoes, no service.

SPEAKER_07 18:19

Uh clothes, no problem.

SPEAKER_09 18:22

That's right. And also um that place where they had the uh the the little the uh gash in their in their metallic body over their heart has grown and now appears to be sort of like emitting this cold blue light, a lot like the one that comes from their eyes, as they sort of uh demurely stand, take their place into sort of a cannonball formation, and then are launched through the air towards their target.

SPEAKER_03 18:50

Hell yeah. Uh go ahead, both of you give me overcomes to succeed on hitting your target.

SPEAKER_07 19:01

Yay!

SPEAKER_09 19:02

This feels to me like a principle of the indestructible overcome. I am sit charging headlong into danger.

SPEAKER_03 19:14

Uh yeah, let's go ahead and start off with uh some principles. We've you've all got new principles, correct?

SPEAKER_07 19:23

Yes.

SPEAKER_09 19:24

Uh I have I have one new principle. Indestructible is still the same.

SPEAKER_07 19:28

Yeah, I don't have great power, but I have a new one. Um but I won't, you know, that's for later.

SPEAKER_09 19:32

Um Inner Demon has similarly uh has taken a back seat uh for reasons. Uh but oh continue.

SPEAKER_01 19:41

Yeah, uh Ollie swapped out one where uh she replaced her principle of justice with the principle of compassion, but she still has the uh uh the original one, principle of the future.

SPEAKER_07 19:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_08 19:54

We all got one new one. That's fine.

SPEAKER_09 19:56

Yeah, so that's uh I feel like I'm using this is probably leaping more than it is strength because it's like I'm being propelled through the air. That feels appropriate to me. Getting into close combat, green status dice. So I think this is a 612-6 that I'm rolling. Right on.

SPEAKER_07 20:16

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_08 20:18

Uh that was hold on. I rolled that one was a one, so I get to re-roll it.

SPEAKER_09 20:23

Uh that's better. Uh well, my max is a 10, and it's an overcome with a principle, so I use my max. Bang in.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

Uh I think with this one, because these are the ones that make the most sense to me. Um, since she still looks more or less like Ollie, um, we're going to assume that she is still Ollie doing this, which means she has access to telekinesis. Um, and then I don't know. I I don't know if acrobatics or ranged combat is more appropriate for throwing that damn.

SPEAKER_07 20:59

Ranged combat. I feel like ranged combat.

SPEAKER_03 21:02

This is this is the panel is Ollie um like getting uh getting Pluto like in her arm, like prepared to throw her, and then you see like a targeting reticle appear over like where her eye would be in her bangs.

SPEAKER_01 21:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:19

God.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

Well, that's three d8s, and I've rolled three fours.

SPEAKER_03 21:25

Wow.

SPEAKER_09 21:29

Well, you're away from the principal, everybody takes a hero point.

SPEAKER_03 21:32

That's right. Well, okay. Four is still a success of the minor twist. Okay, so Pluto, you hit your target. No problem there. Uh Ollie, small problem. That's okay. Let's see. This you use principle. Did you use a principle for that one?

SPEAKER_01 21:48

No.

SPEAKER_03 21:49

Okay. Uh okay. We're going to see. Pluto, go ahead and give me Okay, we're also going to count that as an attack roll. Okay. That was a 10, you said? Well, 10's my max. Do you need my med? Uh well, because you use the principle, we'll say it's max two. Okay. Um we'll say your minor twist is let's see how much she reduces that damage. Ollie's minor twist, you mean? Yeah, for Ollie's minor twist. We'll see how much uh Gwenevere here reduces that damage. That makes sense. I will roll it's a minor twist or roll a D6 for her. Alright, so she takes five damage from that.

unknown 22:48

Alright.

SPEAKER_03 22:49

She so you you launch Pluto at her uh while she is kind of uh hovering over uh Arthur and Page Turner. And uh in in the background, while you while you three are discussing your plans, uh you can kind of see like a muted text box in the background with like scribbles instead of actual words that she's been monologuing to them the whole time. Yeah. Um and you can see like like she's like doing these dramatic swoonings and these like mania these like diabolical Ojosama laughs, the whole the whole nine yards. Um she looks up just in time out of the corner of her eye to see this gigantic white and blue shape coming right at her. Uh she does not she has it just enough time to get some of those crystals uh that are hovering around her to uh get between you, between her and Pluto, and start spinning around in like a um uh like a pinwheel formation to kind of like form a quick like a rotating shield, like a fan formation. Uh but it's not enough to absorb the entire blow, and she gets knocked to the ground with you. Uh she she manages to dust herself off. Uh uh Paige Turner and Arthur look over to where the throne object came from. Arthur is glad to see you.

SPEAKER_09 24:21

Paige Turner just goes, God, they act like they're they're one time meeting us was such hell.

SPEAKER_03 24:30

And uh and Guinevere uh sits up and she goes, Oh Arthur dear, you didn't tell me you had a new batch of knights at your side. We'll have to deal with those, won't we?

SPEAKER_09 24:46

Listen, lady, I don't know who you are or care, but no one gets to beat Arthur's ass but me.

SPEAKER_07 24:52

Uh yeah, and about taking care of things, uh, and I guess since we're gonna just use combat order, uh, I am I am requesting to go next.

SPEAKER_08 25:01

Um I'm about to, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 25:05

Yeah, yeah. Uh Rio finally steps into frame. Rio has uh uh is still wearing the same black bodysuit kind of fit, like you know, short, high-necked, short pants, no sleeves, um, wearing her her shawl, like a skirt tied around her waist now. Um but the two biggest things is one, her hair is incredibly long now, and she does not tie it back or anything. Um, and two, more importantly, um like her arms and legs, and from what you can tell, like from like the gap in her like her top, it's even probably on her torso. Um now covered in golden like cracks, like she's been put back together with Kinsey, um, and they all have a slight glow to them. And um she just says uh yeah, about taking care of the new knights, not so much. Um, and we're gonna use uh let's use to start with uh pulse of the earth, hinder using plants. So literally uh a bunch of plants burst out of the ground um from what looks like gold cracks, like the same thing that's on on Rio's skin, and try to wrap around and uh restrain our new villain.

SPEAKER_09 26:24

I know I know that that uh uh for the clear clarifier for the audience at home, uh we've been playing around with some of the diseases for a while, and I know that time skip Rio was designed uh quite a bit ago. But I do now imagine uh with our current context, Rio playing Off the Devil episode 2 and meeting Diamani and just going, is that my dad?

unknown 26:42

Is that my dad?

SPEAKER_07 26:44

Is that could be my that could be me.

SPEAKER_08 26:48

Um That could be me if I if I was like a 40-year-old man.

SPEAKER_07 26:52

Uh I am going to be using status die, so six, uh, Witch of Eden, which is my new like personal uh skill, I guess. Um, or personal quality, uh, which is an eight, and as always, uh actually six, eight, eight, not ten, so it's not my usual six, eight, ten. Um so let's do six.

SPEAKER_03 27:14

Oh, by the way, real quick, since we're in combat here, um there's no environment. This is for you guys to show off your new abilities.

SPEAKER_05 27:21

Yay!

SPEAKER_03 27:22

So this is a this is an easy going battle. Don't don't worry about turn order, like uh turn count or uh status or anything like that.

SPEAKER_09 27:30

Alright, somebody needs to do like uh 26 damage to Pluto real quick.

SPEAKER_07 27:37

So she is so the th the full text is of of pulse of the earth is uh hinder using plants, attack using your Mendai. If you are in the red zone, you may apply to any number of nearby targets. Um she is hundreds the the hinder roll was four and the damage is a three.

SPEAKER_03 28:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 28:01

So I think it's literally that like these uh vines and plants kind of burst out of like gold cracks on the ground and wrap around her um and squeeze extremely tight, right?

SPEAKER_03 28:14

Uh absolutely. Uh, was your hinder roll a four?

SPEAKER_07 28:17

Yeah. So she's hindered for two.

SPEAKER_03 28:19

Okay, yeah, I wanted to I wanted to make sure, because I was like, damn, that's a really good hinder roll.

SPEAKER_09 28:22

No, I wish to like make a copy of that table to put on my character sheet or something.

SPEAKER_07 28:27

I basically have it memorized at this point.

SPEAKER_03 28:31

I can't hear here, Saturn. You know what? I will just uh do this real quick because I have a copy of it. Uh it's in the 20, but here I'm just gonna send it in the Discord.

SPEAKER_09 28:40

Okay, because what I'm going to do is I'm going to make space to copy that on my on my sheet so I don't forget. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:45

So here's the boost hinder rolls and the overcome rolls as well.

SPEAKER_05 28:49

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 28:49

Yeah. Um, yeah. So you you create these vines. Um they burst out of the out of the uh torn up road of the parking lot. Um they they shoot up and ensnare her by her arms, uh uh put wrench her arms down in a painful way so that she takes she she cries out in pain at those. Um her limbs are immobile, but the crystals are still like swirling around her even uh more rapidly uh to do the uh the acting for her now. Uh before until she can break out of this. Uh who wants to go next?

SPEAKER_07 29:33

Uh I guess now that we're out of like actual com because I guess like Ollie and Pluto just instigated combat, right?

SPEAKER_03 29:42

Yeah, so they they their turn can still happen.

SPEAKER_07 29:44

Oh, cool.

SPEAKER_03 29:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 29:46

Um I'm gonna give it to Pluto since Pluto is uh within proximity.

SPEAKER_09 29:51

Alright, I love that, because Pluto's here is going to be really simple. Uh Pluto's going to use uh a move of theirs that I just called silence, which in the rules is power strike, and they are going to uh in their in their way uh a variant on a classic, they're gonna give her a mean right hook. Uh no fuss, no muss, uh not even uh a shape-shifting limb. It's beyond them now. Instead, they're just going to strike her with tremendous strength. Uh, and this is an attack using strength.

SPEAKER_03 30:22

Use your max die, and that's it. I imagine the uh the vines pulled her down uh low enough that she's her face is just in prime punching location.

SPEAKER_07 30:33

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_09 30:34

Yeah, so Pluto's going to do a relatively slow-looking punch, uh kind of like uh not not like super murderous intent, just like an obligatory amount of violence, which is going to make the impact very funny after I roll.

SPEAKER_01 30:48

Oh no, they're gonna punch the color out of her.

SPEAKER_03 30:50

This is this is a this is what we in the in the biz like to call a haymaker.

SPEAKER_09 30:54

Yeah. So there's gonna be a 12 a 12 and a 6 by the vibe. Uh because uh Pluto has strength 12 and close combat 12. Great hell yeah. Roll them bones. So 12 a 12 and a six, well, my max die is a 10 again. Fancy that!

SPEAKER_03 31:13

Holy shit. Okay. Uh you said something about punching the collar out of her. You wind up like Donkey Kong. Yeah. And just the she so she's been this like ethereal beauty to her, right? That's all we just absolutely like glamorous, like her art style is slightly different.

SPEAKER_05 31:38

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 31:38

Like she's drawn with like in the pages, like, she's drawn with like more digital effects than the rest of you.

SPEAKER_07 31:43

For sure.

SPEAKER_03 31:44

They got they got a di they got a second colorist in just to do her. You you connect with her with the side of her face, and she turns into a Street Fighter character. Like her eyes bug out, like her jaw is tilted to the side. There's like spit coming out of her mouth. As you just fucking deck her for 10 whole damage. Uh. And she flies out of the vines and skids across the concrete with that one.

SPEAKER_07 32:22

Uh Ryo just looks over and is like, nice shot, Pluto.

SPEAKER_09 32:26

Thanks. And then they kind of like uh do one of those, like, kind of like putting their arm up in like like a flirty sort of plec flex or whatever.

SPEAKER_06 32:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 32:37

Uh uh, we passed uh we passed to Ollie because uh I believe in in clowning on people.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

That's right, absolutely. I think for this, um Ollie's finally going to show off their the real thing that's happened to them since the the time skip, which is um show off this is what you are. Um it is a new move that she's picked up that's just called merge. And I'm gonna read out the rules for it. If you have access to a willing, compatible person to enable your transformation, change into your heroic form. After you transform, take a basic action using your Mindai. If you take any penalties that separate you from that person, you can no longer use this ability for this uh encounter.

SPEAKER_07 33:28

Oh, that's fun.

SPEAKER_03 33:30

And now, Oates, do you want to tell us who Ollie's uh second person is?

SPEAKER_01 33:34

Yes. So as time has gone on, whatever was inside of Ollie has taken the form of an itty bitty I don't want to really call it a blob, but it is something of a shapeless kernel, basically, of the same matter that uh Pluto and its many uh iterations have come from. Uh and I we don't know the d the specifics of it yet, but uh Ollie and and it have been in communication long enough that it has something of a sentience now. Uh and it goes by the name Charon. That's Charon. Charon. Yes. As in the celestial body that orbits Pluto.

SPEAKER_07 34:26

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 34:26

Yeah, yeah. And also that one ghoul from Fallout 3. Except they f except they call him Sharon for some reason. What?

SPEAKER_08 34:33

Do they?

SPEAKER_09 34:33

I thought they I could have No, I'm thinking of Hades. I'm like, I could have sworn they called him Charon at the very least, but it might be mixed.

SPEAKER_07 34:40

I don't know. I haven't played Fallout 3 in so long.

SPEAKER_09 34:42

Yeah. And why would you?

SPEAKER_07 34:44

Why would you?

SPEAKER_01 34:46

So um it is just going to be like a simple basic action of let's see. I I think for this it is literally just going to be like a a an itty bitty follow-up punch. Not as cool or not as strong or as powerful or whatever. But it sure as hell looks flashy.

SPEAKER_03 35:05

Alright, go for it.

SPEAKER_01 35:06

Uh so we're gonna use the new power that uh Ollie has access to, which is momentum. Um and then acrobatics, and then status die. So that's two eights and a six. And so um I got all fours again, but you know what? Since I have to use my minimum die, I guess that's not too bad.

SPEAKER_03 35:35

And this is just a basic attack?

SPEAKER_01 35:37

Just a simple basic attack.

SPEAKER_07 35:38

Oh, what does Ollie's new what does Ollie's new look look like?

SPEAKER_01 35:42

So as Ollie starts running. So, because you know, Pluto knocked him a a fair, let's say like 30 yards away, like mo most of the entire parking lot.

SPEAKER_07 35:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:55

And uh so Ollie starts chasing after it with a near near superhuman speed that just kind of picks up um until she kind of just melts into it It's kind of like like a sonic boom happens at subsonic speeds. And her form disappears and then reshapes out to the other side of the sonic boom in this weird chitinous, still humanoid shape uh that still kind of resembles her, like it has a weird helmet that covers its face in the same way that her hair would. Um, and a weird like multi-segmented tail, like a scorpion coming out of the back of her head to resemble her goofy little rat tail that she used to have. Hell yeah. Uh and uh how to describe it. Um the thing keeps moving in a way that feels less like normal huh it looks less like an an like a like a land mammal uh locomotion and more like frantic movements of like a fish that has landed out of the water. It feels desperate and and um not sluggish, but the opposite, where it is flailing against something that it is lighter than what it's used to. Um as it rushes towards and then lands uh something of an awkward but still pretty um sizable punch on uh this this prone lady before basically unable to stop its momentum flying over her and skidding to a stop another ten yards away.

SPEAKER_03 37:49

So basically you just kind of like you kind of like tackle and clip her as you're leaping over her.

SPEAKER_01 37:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:56

Uh she was going everywhere, is just about to get back up onto her feet, and then you just knock her back on her ass. Basically. Um it's her turn now, so she uh is prone flat on her back and she pushes herself up. Uh she's got like dust and like dirt and gravel on her face that she quickly brushes off with her hands, uh shakes her head, shakes her hair back out of her face, uh, and she goes, Oh! I will not suffer these indignities here. Not when I'm so close to me and my beloved Arthur.

SPEAKER_01 38:32

Karen throws a rock.

SPEAKER_03 38:34

Stop doing that! Uh she she bit kits herself up and I just realized I forgot to do something. Uh to make this battle spark a little bit more.

SPEAKER_09 38:47

Uh you always love to hear your GM say that.

SPEAKER_08 38:52

What we we have music?

SPEAKER_05 38:55

We have music! Yes!

SPEAKER_03 39:00

What in the goddamn Uhcaster has a nice feature where you can uh set up uh a soundboard.

SPEAKER_07 39:07

That's crazy. Can you turn the audio down and just like just drowning you out, just like a putt- like a put other directly?

SPEAKER_03 39:15

There we go. Perfect. Yeah, but it's a little sensitive to like it's kinda hard to drag.

unknown 39:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 39:19

There we go.

SPEAKER_03 39:20

Now it's perfect. Okay.

SPEAKER_07 39:21

Okay, because it was drowning you out just a little bit. I can't believe we get music now. That's so fun. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 39:27

It's crazy. Uh she she picks herself out, she dusts off her her her dress as much as she can. She's looking a little beat up, but she's trying to maintain that level of dignity.

SPEAKER_07 39:38

Sure. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 39:41

And she goes, You you wish to get in my way? I'm the one who gets in people's way!

SPEAKER_07 39:46

Yeah, we've noticed that.

SPEAKER_03 39:48

Uh, and she is going to uh She's going to uh extend an arm and point a single finger at you, Pluto. And she is going to say, you shall suffer. See about that.

SPEAKER_07 40:10

Uh you shall suffer.

SPEAKER_03 40:13

She is going to hinder you with the with an ability called tethered light. Uh the crystals spiral around uh at her fingertip and they form they line up in a straight line between you and her fingertip, and then they burst forward and pierce you in the chest. Ow! Uh let's see, that will be a ten.

SPEAKER_09 40:42

Uh Wow, ten damage? No.

SPEAKER_03 40:43

Uh ten, eight, and a six. Okay. Uh you are now hindered for negative two. This penalty is persistent and exclusive. Ooh.

SPEAKER_06 41:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 41:07

Um, and whenever she is dealt damage, uh you, Pluto, will take one irreducible damage.

SPEAKER_09 41:17

Oh, is that awful?

SPEAKER_07 41:19

Oh, that's fine. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 41:21

Um, so you have a permanent negative two hinder, uh, you take damage, and she also reduces her damage dealt to her by one. Interesting.

SPEAKER_07 41:30

Okay. That's fun.

SPEAKER_03 41:33

Uh, so you just feel this like this sudden weakness and heaviness on your body. Uh, while she gains a little bit more of that ethereal glow to her. Uh, and since it started the turn order, she's just gonna go again.

SPEAKER_07 41:49

Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 41:53

Um. And then. Uh, you know what? She's also going to point at you, Ryo.

SPEAKER_06 42:04

Oh!

SPEAKER_03 42:04

And she's gonna do the same thing.

SPEAKER_06 42:07

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 42:08

She is also going to uh to stab you and hinder you with that. So let's roll those bones again. She says, uh. And why not one more for the road? Uh, not quite as good, Ryo. You only get a negative one hinder. Okay. That is again persistent and irreducible. Um. And uh yeah, same thing. You uh you will take one of your doors of damage whenever she's attacked.

SPEAKER_07 42:37

Okay, that's fine. Yeah. Oh no, the two care. Uh won't stack. I don't know that I know something.

SPEAKER_09 42:46

She uh she I'll I'll tell you here's the I'll tell you something for free that I won't spoil to do is going on. Uh Pluto currently has the highest max health that is actually possible to get in this game.

SPEAKER_07 42:58

That's hysterical.

SPEAKER_09 43:00

Incredible.

SPEAKER_07 43:00

So what's the highest, what's the highest HP?

SPEAKER_09 43:02

A 40.

SPEAKER_07 43:04

That's absurd. For you. For you. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 43:08

She she she kind of uh uh titters a bit to herself and she goes, they didn't even try to block it. These are the knights you ally yourselves with, Arthur. They're not quite nearly as good as the ones I remember. And Arthur goes, You don't remember any of the knights!

SPEAKER_07 43:23

Although I gotta ask Ben, I did hinder her four two. Did you?

SPEAKER_03 43:27

Although I kick-tacked that into that.

SPEAKER_07 43:28

Okay, just making sure.

SPEAKER_03 43:29

Yeah. Um that would have gone away with uh with uh Ollie, or with uh Pluto's role she did.

SPEAKER_07 43:34

Okay, cool, cool, cool, cool. Good to know.

SPEAKER_03 43:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 43:36

Um Alright then, who's next?

SPEAKER_03 43:40

Uh, she'll kick it over to you, Ryo.

SPEAKER_07 43:43

Okay. What do I want to do? You know what? Uh, it's actually really handy that um that she's decided to tether herself to me because that gives me uh an inner in universe. First explanation for what happens next, which is that Ryo kind of grabs the like tether, finger quotes, and then just like kind of makes like a smashing motion with her hands. Uh, and I'm gonna use Leyline Burst. Attack up to two targets using gravity. Um also take an amount of damage equal to your mid-die.

SPEAKER_09 44:20

Okay. So doubling down on taking damage, I like it.

SPEAKER_07 44:25

Uh that's right. We're we're all about that now, folks.

SPEAKER_09 44:28

Um telling me a Sarakter likes to take damage? Crazy. Big Dammy!

SPEAKER_07 44:34

We love big dammy. I'm gonna roll a six, an eight, and a ten. Um. So she takes four and I takes four. And I take five, actually.

SPEAKER_03 44:46

Um, she takes three, actually, because she reduces damage to you by one. Um, and then actually, so describe what Ryo is doing exactly.

SPEAKER_07 44:55

Uh, she is basically using the tether between them to try and slam her into the ground.

SPEAKER_03 45:01

Okay. Uh so you you you lift her up, um, and then while she's in mid-air, like lifting it by the own tether that she created, she goes, Ha! Adorable! Uh, she by her own volition drops down and you go airborne instead.

SPEAKER_06 45:20

Oh, that's fun.

SPEAKER_03 45:21

She is using upper handed strike as a reaction. When attacked by someone with a penalty you created, defend by rolling your single status die, and the attacker suffers that much damage.

SPEAKER_06 45:30

Ooh, please.

SPEAKER_03 45:32

So you you take your take your initial f uh she's uh four, she's going to defend herself with a three, she takes no damage, and you take an additional three.

SPEAKER_06 45:44

Okay. That's fine.

SPEAKER_03 45:48

So she she completely reverses the attack on you.

SPEAKER_07 45:51

No, that's fine.

SPEAKER_03 45:52

And slams Ryo into the ground.

SPEAKER_07 45:55

Uh, that makes sense, yeah. I think that when Ryo takes, like, does these self-damage attacks, uh, it makes little like shards of gold kind of like explode everywhere, right? Um, and so there's just more of them now when she slams into the ground.

SPEAKER_03 46:11

Yeah. There's there's these these gold flecks fluttering in the air along with like the sparkling crystalline shapes that are accompanying Guinevere.

SPEAKER_07 46:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 46:21

And she's like, oh, it's beautiful.

SPEAKER_07 46:26

Uh I'm gonna give it to Ollie.

SPEAKER_09 46:31

Oh, by the way, real quick, oh Ollie's turn. Does Pluto also have to take this damage because they're also tethered? No, it's only if if Pluto attacks Guinevere, they take that damage.

SPEAKER_07 46:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 46:44

Well, it's time for us to rely on an old, reliable. That's right. Uh, and uh uh Charon's going to use the precise shot now named um in this form Weapon of War. Which is attack using your signature weapon. Ignore all penalties on this attack, ignore any defend actions, and it cannot be affected by reactions.

SPEAKER_09 47:10

Go for it! The classic.

SPEAKER_01 47:13

Just easy classic, so we're gonna use a 10-8 and an eight. Um And we got a one, an eight, and a six. Six ain't bad.

SPEAKER_03 47:33

So six damage?

SPEAKER_01 47:37

Yes. Okay. Um and it just simply looks like, uh, cause, you know, uh uh, this is not Ollie using her gun, this is Caron morphing and forcibly like melting their arm into a rail gun and then just firing a slug mate out of their bone.

SPEAKER_03 47:57

Cool. Uh while Guinevere is is hovering over the two of you and uh and uh Odrosama laughing, uh, in the background, uh uh behind her, she hears uh the uh of the rail gun loading, and she goes just in time for a bullet to clip her in the back of the head. Uh, and send her ass over tea kettle to the ground.

SPEAKER_01 48:28

Um and you just kinda like it it it's uh I I like the idea of uh doing the fun like dual panel thing of seeing her head like her head with like the background blurry, and then at the very next shot, you see her ankle up in the air. Yeah, and uh out of focus, and you zoom in on uh Charon as the gun is just like glowing that that horrible cold blue that uh Pluto's eyes are made out of.

SPEAKER_03 48:59

Cool. Yeah, like she she spins like she's got like a a harness around her waist, like a foosball table.

SPEAKER_05 49:08

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 49:08

Just completely ass over tea kettle before falling to the ground again.

SPEAKER_09 49:14

Is it bad that my mental image of her at this point is identical to the Nami from Utana?

SPEAKER_07 49:20

No, they're basically the same.

SPEAKER_03 49:22

No, that's that's that's kind of what I'm going for with her.

SPEAKER_01 49:28

Emma Frost uh by way of Nanami. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_07 49:32

Yeah, that makes sense. Uh who's up next, Oaks?

SPEAKER_09 49:36

Um It could actually only be Pluto, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:40

Yeah, it's it's just Pluto, so.

SPEAKER_07 49:42

Right, because she went at the beginning of the turn. Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 49:44

Yeah, which means uh she's got about uh four more turns of us before she's allowed to move again. Let's see if she lives. Uh Pluto's going to use their turn uh doing their uh strategic uh classic of not liking when uh enemies uh do things that uh make their life more difficult. Uh and they're going to go ahead and do uh their move rapid approach, uh, which uh manifests as them kind of doing leaping at her like they're doing a jump kick and then just kind of like trying to get a clean shot on her head like an emu stamping on a snake or something like that. Just single decisive kick. Uh this is an attack using leaping. Uh the target of the attack must take an attack again against you as their next turn if possible. Okay. Uh so this is going to be. Oh, what's my leaping? So it's six. This is a six-twelve-six again, I believe. So leaping for six, uh, close combat for twelve, and status for six. My mid here is a six. I'm only well. Okay. So she takes five.

SPEAKER_03 50:50

You take one as a result of that. Oh no.

SPEAKER_08 50:56

I'm still so far away from the yellow zone.

SPEAKER_09 51:01

Uh, and I'm going to pass it to myself.

SPEAKER_07 51:04

Yes, please do. Okay.

SPEAKER_09 51:06

Now that I've drawn aggro, uh, Pluto is going to go in again for another power strike and just try to punch her in the head while she's down.

SPEAKER_03 51:14

This is bullying at this point, and I'm all for it. Yeah. You know, Nanami deserves nothing less. You see, you you kind of glance over at Arthur as he's kind of killed still getting to his feet, and he just gives you a quick thumbs up.

SPEAKER_10 51:27

Oh, thank god, I hate this woman.

SPEAKER_09 51:29

Get her. Get her ass. Uh Pluto, and this is going to be a strength uh the power strike, so this is going to be strength close combat status. That's a 12-12-6 that I'm rolling. My mid is actually no, this is a power strike, so I'm rolling with my max. Uh, that's a 10! Uh so yeah, uh punching her right in the noggin, and then passing it to Ryo.

SPEAKER_07 51:55

Cool. Um. What do I want to use?

SPEAKER_03 52:00

Uh actually that's so that's it would be a f a nine, and you take your more. Yeah. Yes.

SPEAKER_07 52:06

AHHHHH The teeny tiniest bit of damage. Oh no. Um.

unknown 52:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 52:17

95% health!

SPEAKER_07 52:19

Oh! Uh, can I use a yellow zone attack since we're since we're uh because we don't have an actual gyro set up then?

SPEAKER_03 52:27

I'll say that she's in yellow enough that I'll allow you to use a yellow attack.

SPEAKER_07 52:31

Yeah, baby. Um so as Ryo gets back up off the ground, all of those gold sparks that have been in the air because of she got tossed around, um, she gets up, dusts herself off, and makes kind of like a swirling motion with her fingers, like a big circle, and all those gold darts or those gold sparks turn into a big uh like molten gold spike. Because I'm going to use t uh Telluric Bolt. Attack using Cosmic. Use your max plus min. Take damage equal to your mid.

SPEAKER_00 53:05

Good lord!

SPEAKER_07 53:07

Um and I'm gonna hit her with the blunt side of the golden spike.

SPEAKER_09 53:13

Okay. Uh you know, use the flat of your sword.

SPEAKER_07 53:16

Yeah, use the flat of your sword. Mash, use the flat of your shield.

SPEAKER_09 53:19

Oh, real real quick before you calculate damage, uh, Ben, give her a two HP back, because I forgot to factor in the uh the penalty. No, I factor that in. Oh good, okay.

SPEAKER_07 53:28

Um, so 6-8-10 is always. Uh uh, well, my it what it was it?

SPEAKER_03 53:37

Max plus min.

SPEAKER_07 53:39

Max plus min. Um 11.

SPEAKER_04 53:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 53:45

And I take four dam because I I rolled a 4-4 and a 7. So uh she takes 11 and I take four as well. So, down into 21. There you go.

SPEAKER_03 53:58

Okay, uh, she takes one less, you take one more.

SPEAKER_07 54:00

That's fine. Okay. Uh so yeah, no, she takes ten damage then, I guess. So this uh this uh I guess it's not really we're not trying to like eviscerate this woman. Uh she's too Nami coded for that. So instead of it being uh like a sharp bolt, it's more like a battering ram made out of like molten gold.

SPEAKER_03 54:24

So initially it is pointed like it's about to pierce her in the ch in the chest.

SPEAKER_07 54:30

Yeah, totally.

SPEAKER_03 54:30

And she like tries to scramble back, and right before it makes contact, it it uh softens to like a blunt impact.

SPEAKER_07 54:38

Yeah, absolutely. And just absolutely nails her.

SPEAKER_00 54:42

Yeah, it still clocks her really hard, but you you you freaked her out.

SPEAKER_07 54:48

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 54:48

It does the green arrow thing of it turns into a boxing clock, like at the very last second.

SPEAKER_07 54:53

Totally.

SPEAKER_03 54:54

Uh, and she still takes a a a boatload of damage from that, uh, but she is still alive and she's trying to very shakily get back to her feet.

SPEAKER_07 55:06

Yeah, I don't think this tether thing is working out for you very well, ma'am.

SPEAKER_04 55:11

I should have been a bit more aggressive, yes.

SPEAKER_07 55:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 55:16

Uh I mean Who are you passing it to? Rio?

SPEAKER_07 55:18

Um, uh, you know what? She looks like crap. And I'm gonna roll the dice on uh her taking two attacks in a row. Uh Ollie, maybe Karen can finish her off.

SPEAKER_01 55:31

Let's see. Um So are we in the yellow zone or not? Yes.

SPEAKER_03 55:37

We are saying we'll say you're in the yellow zone for the sake of uh expedience.

SPEAKER_01 55:42

Okay. I'm I'm torn between using an old classic or doing something new.

SPEAKER_03 55:58

Do something new to show off your new powers. That's what this punching bag is for.

SPEAKER_01 56:05

You know what? Uh you're so right, Pat. Um, we're going to use a move called Manifold Lullaby, which is uh originally known as the Power and Repair. You may boost, hinder, defend, or attack using telepathy. You and all nearby heroes in the yellow or red zone recover health equal to your Min Die when you roll.

SPEAKER_07 56:26

Oh, awesome.

SPEAKER_01 56:28

Um, I'm going to use this as h a hindrance. Um then pass the buck off to Pluto for a final move.

SPEAKER_03 56:39

Pluto already went.

SPEAKER_01 56:40

So that can be.

SPEAKER_09 56:42

Her next next move is has to pass to her.

SPEAKER_01 56:44

Oh, you're right, okay. Sorry, I was thinking like a turn before this one. So. Um. Yeah, so uh we're going to hinder before she gets her move then. Um this'll be uh telepathy. And Big Sister, and another eight. Because, spoilers, uh, she has the the uh she has a new personality that just makes her like rock standard same status die no matter what. Oh god, love that from her.

SPEAKER_07 57:16

That's good.

SPEAKER_01 57:17

So we rolled a six, an eight, and a seven. So she's hindered by seven. And the way this is uh, and then everybody el and then recovering health equal to the mid-dye, which means everybody all else suddenly recovers six HP.

SPEAKER_03 57:37

Nice!

SPEAKER_01 57:38

Alright, so she's got a negative two hinder. So Karen basically rushes at her and grabs her. Um and Ollie pops out, still grabbing what appears to be like a ghostly figure of um the this crazy Guinevere woman, as she's basically astral projected her body, uh, or like astral projected herself and uh uh Guinevere out of her body temporarily, and kind of giving her a a literal out-of-body experience.

SPEAKER_03 58:12

Uh you wrench the soul out of her.

SPEAKER_01 58:15

Uh-huh. So the it it so it just currently looks like it is just Karen like with like a dead grip on her. Um, but like in actuality for like the comic panels, you see like a ghostly overlay of the other two actually like interacting with each other.

SPEAKER_03 58:33

Uh, being a magical being herself, she can see her own soul being wrenched from her body. Uh, and she frantically claws at it and grabs it and tries to force it back into her chest.

SPEAKER_10 58:46

This is the worst stormblood dungeon encounter! Oh, I don't like this feeling.

SPEAKER_03 58:51

I don't like this one bit! Give that back, give that back! Um, she is going to attack you, Ali, as a result of this. Um. She is she's uh uh fittingly, the move is named Scrambling Strike. Uh, as she tries to claw at you and claw her own soul back into her body. Uh that is a ten. We'll say this is close combat. And another eight for her status die. Uh a two, a one, and a two. Well dang. She does two damage to you, Ollie. But all of your quality dice dice are reduced by one size until her turn. Ooh.

SPEAKER_06 59:40

Interesting.

SPEAKER_03 59:41

Fun. That's a cool one. So ten becomes eight, eight becomes six, six becomes four, etc. etc. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:50

Fun. I like that.

SPEAKER_03 59:52

Uh That's the end of the round. Um yeah, she's going to take her turn again. Um. Let's see. And now that she has actually, uh, oh shoot, I forgot that. Actually, Ollie, you take no damage from that because I forgot about her hinder.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:32

Oh yeah. No damage from that. Ollie's just too cool. Uh, but she still does hinder your uh quality die.

unknown 1:00:40

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:40

That still goes through. Ollie is. Oh, fuck, I'm feeling generally lamer. She manages to scramble her soul back into her body, uh, takes a few deep breaths, calms herself, uh, and then um again is going to try to uh get you off of her back by attacking you again with scrambling strike. Uh, so that is the eight, the eight, and the ten. Much better! That's a six, an eight, and a six. So you take six damage, Ollie. Uh, then she's gonna pass it off to Ryo.

SPEAKER_07 1:01:28

Okay. Um. I think I'm gonna hit her again with Telluric Bolt.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:37

Go for it.

SPEAKER_07 1:01:38

Yeah, I think that's the easiest thing to do right now. Um, because she looks she looks bad.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:43

She's she is in a rough state.

SPEAKER_07 1:01:46

Yeah, no.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:47

Like her hair was was was in these like beautiful curls and then it's all disheveled now. Her dress is all cut up. Uh she's just like covered in dirt and gravel.

SPEAKER_07 1:01:56

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:57

She's got she missed it. She mystically has white streaks in her hair now. I don't really know why.

SPEAKER_09 1:02:03

It it won't matter, and we I don't want to relitigate the stuff that you're still, but I I did use the aggro pull mechanic on her. So we should push that forward to if she gets another chance to attack. I'm sorry about that.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:16

I completely forgot about it.

SPEAKER_09 1:02:17

I also literally completely forgot about just sitting here looking at the movie and like, wait a minute.

SPEAKER_07 1:02:21

That's right. I drew aggro. It's fine. Uh Ollie, you you temporarily shirked. It's chill.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:28

Um I saw Tankbuster went, wait, hold on, I got a cool idea.

SPEAKER_07 1:02:34

Um don't worry, Pluto.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:36

The next enemy you fight will target you exclusively.

SPEAKER_07 1:02:39

Yeah!

SPEAKER_09 1:02:41

Um This makes Saturn happy.

SPEAKER_07 1:02:44

Uh I think Taluric Bolt, it's the same bolt. It hit her once and it's coming back around to do it again.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:51

It's like it's on a pendulum. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You you hit her with like with like uh an Ewok log trap and it's swinging around again for the up through the other side. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:05

Uh, because I can just keep now that I know Ollie has a healing move as well, I can just keep doing. I can do this all day. Uh six, eight, ten. Uh damage is max plus min, so she takes. I rolled a six and a three for my max plus min, so she takes nine minus one, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:03:30

Doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:31

It doesn't matter. That's what I thought.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:34

Uh she so she uh wrenches her soul back in.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:38

She sh scrables and scratches Ollie away, and she goes, In fact, I I have a better idea for how cool this looks. Okay, go for it. She manages to shove Ollie away, she turns to like face Ollie to um to like uh to attack her instead, and then out of nowhere, Ryo has like closed the gap between them because Ryo will now punch somebody. Um using using her gold. It's like a f it's it's not literally like wrapped around her fist, but it's like above her hand. Um and she literally whiffs with her hand, but it's the gold that hits instead, and just absolutely slams into her face and yet again sends her hurtling across the parking lot. Yeah, like dusts her hands off and all of the gold that's been like fracturing off of her the whole fight. Starts reconstituting with her body. Nice.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:35

You you hit her. She skids to the ground and she goes, Oh, Arthur. And then she just falls to the ground unconscious.

SPEAKER_07 1:04:48

Uh and she uh Rio looks over at Arthur and is like, Man! I didn't know you had a crazy accent.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:56

She uh Arthur Arthur finally picks himself up and he rolls his eyes and he just goes, She's not really my Guinevere, she's from Kentucky. Her name is Gwendolyn Everard. She's a Gwen King The Real King with the Red Hand. This is a different matter. She just follows me around and just so happened to have shown up at the same time that you lot did. Uh thanks for the assist, by the way. I really appreciate that.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:12

Uh I'm sure Sophia and I Sophia appreciates it too when he gestures the page turner who still just goes, Yeah, whatever, thank you.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:21

Uh, you know. It's chill. Don't worry about it. Glad to be of service.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:27

Um, the uh the narration box appears for the readers at home uh to explain that Arthur is uh for reasons undisclosed no longer a member of the New Guardians. And has not been a member since Yellowstone.

SPEAKER_09 1:06:46

It does this over a panel, like the the panel is like showing him, but you can see like Pluto from behind, and you do notice that Pluto is carrying uh something that is recognizably used to be his scabbard.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:01

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 1:07:03

Like tied around tied around their waist.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:05

Absolutely. Obviously, obviously, there's a little editor's note box at the bottom corner, like a little letter box that says, See New Guardians issue 114.

SPEAKER_07 1:07:13

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_09 1:07:15

Yeah. Uh you this is confusingly, that issue is titled King Arthur Dies.

unknown 1:07:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:22

And it just it just shows Candlelight cradling like Arthur's like unconscious bleeding body and like wailing in despair. That scene doesn't happen in the comic. Not how that plays out at all.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:36

Like the death of Superman comic cover, yeah.

SPEAKER_09 1:07:40

And all the readers were really confused at the time because Candlelight wasn't even there.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:44

And also on the cover, uh, Grape Gorilla is also there. Who, again, not in that issue whatsoever, not even remotely close to uh where that issue took place.

SPEAKER_09 1:07:55

The readers got really excited because Grape Gorilla hadn't been in the in the runs for like a solid calendar year and they thought he was finally coming back, and no.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:03

No, it's just uh he's Jesus got that publicity that uh you know he's on the he's on the uh on the popsicle boxes, you know.

SPEAKER_09 1:08:10

Uh yeah, he's got movies made and they can't like they can't like wrap him up in like comics plot lines that might not be successful.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:16

You know, Hugh Jackman played a killer grape gorilla. I believe it. Uh yeah, you you you wouldn't you would you would have known just by word of mouth and the people you the circles you run with that the uh rosters of the new guardians have shifted since Yellowstone. That was the biggest change that Arthur left. Some new members have joined in the meantime. It is unclear if Arthur was kicked out or if he left willingly.

SPEAKER_07 1:08:43

Sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:44

Um if he agreed to leave or if they they very politely suggested that he leave. It's unclear what that relationship is now, uh, but it apparently is well enough that Paige Turner is still willing to at least associate with him in some degree. Sure. Uh she's her her her ire and frustration is more directed at the three of you than it is her uh longtime friend and former teammate.

SPEAKER_07 1:09:08

No, that's fair. We're I can't imagine why. You know, listen, we've never done anything wrong in our life.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:13

Who knows? Who knows why the uh premier superhero team in the country would be mad at the three of you after what happened in Yellowstone.

SPEAKER_07 1:09:22

I couldn't imagine.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:23

Yeah. Uh Arthur was there, he knows the deal, so he's not mad, he's not has no grudge against you whatsoever.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:32

Um but no, so you so you clear that up, and Arthur and Arthur mentions that, you know, once they're done with their business with with uh uh Tobacco Slim, he'll deal with Guinevere and get her back to uh the authorities where she belongs. Um as long as she's now that she's kind of unconscious and she's kind of been dealt with, she won't be a problem even if she does wake up. She's a little gonna be disoriented for a bit.

SPEAKER_07 1:09:56

Sure. Um She thinks she's back in Kentucky right now, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:59

Yeah. Uh it's it's it's a bit of a pity. I mean, really, I do f feel a little bad for her, but she's also very annoying.

SPEAKER_07 1:10:08

I mean, she is kind of literally stalking you, so like it's not like you have like uh like a restraining order you can put on her or anything like that.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:17

So No, I mean who would enforce it?

SPEAKER_07 1:10:21

You!

SPEAKER_03 1:10:23

Um anyway, we should we should get going and go see what uh what uh Mr. Slim has for us.

SPEAKER_07 1:10:32

Mr. Slim? I've never thought to call him Mr. Slim, she says to Ollie and Pluto as they're like starting to follow after Arthur. Like I've never thought of calling him Mr. It seems wrong.

SPEAKER_09 1:10:43

He leads I I forget, does Rio live in this area? Probably is her home in this area?

SPEAKER_07 1:10:48

Yeah, Rio's from the Colorado area.

SPEAKER_09 1:10:50

I say Pluto's like, I mean, realistically, you should probably be calling him Your Highness, but I mean, you know, that's that's uh Well he's I I don't have to do that, I don't live here.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:01

It would be Your Majesty because he's a king. That's true. Majesty is king, king and queen, prince and princess is highness.

unknown 1:11:08

Good.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:09

So that's what we'd call it the Contes. Yes, Your Highness. Um as the three of you uh are are led through the town um or through the through the office district, uh opinions are mixed at your presence here.

SPEAKER_07 1:11:29

Sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:30

Um There's a lot of people who remember what you did for them two years ago, um, and they are obviously grateful for that. There are some who have maybe heard worse rumors about what happened in in the uh interim year. Um they're a little bit standoffish, but there are some who are who are no one is actively going to fight you being here.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:56

Sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:56

They're just kind of either gonna get kind of give you a distance or kind of give you some support, uh, you know, or or just not really acknowledge your presence at all.

SPEAKER_09 1:12:06

Um there there's a panel of someone like they're all discussing their their rumors or whatever, there's a panel of someone going, and I heard that Pluto ate a baby, and there's a little chibi cut in Pluto going, it was a vampire baby that was 500 years old, so it's okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:22

And also I didn't eat them. And the word eat is underlined.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:27

Yeah. Um, you you do, Rio, out of the corner of your eye, um, you see little 12-year-old Vanessa Long uh try to run up to you and is uh gently held back by her parents. And she looks pretty disappointed in that fact.

SPEAKER_09 1:12:48

Oh well sure is convenient how they forgot how we saved their fucking daughter.

SPEAKER_07 1:12:52

Yeah, man, whatever. It's fine.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:55

And their asses. They do seem a bit more concerned than fearful. They aren't aren't sure what to make of of the situation.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:06

Sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:07

And they think it's best that that Vanessa just doesn't associate with you guys for the time being.

SPEAKER_07 1:13:12

Ryo just kind of like, you know, listen, it's been a year. She just kind of like waves at Vanessa a little bit and kind of like mouths that she'll see her later, uh, and has to like point at Arthur, like kind of indicating like I got more important business, I'm sorry. Um before heading to follow after them.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:33

Um Rio, give me a quick overcome to uh determine how Vanessa and her family receive that. Overcome to impress this child.

SPEAKER_07 1:13:43

Overcome to make this this family stop not liking me. Um what would that be? Overcome with obviously a cute idea to be able to use a power dice instead of an untrained dice. Uh rolling with plants because she literally can make like little flowers kind of pop up on the ground around them as kind of like a no it's a shill type thing. Um it's uh I'm gonna roll it with six eight eight. Yeah. Um, right, because I picked I picked a new personality type. But it has the same thing going on, which is funny. Um six, eight, eight, let's see. No, it wouldn't apply here. Never mind. Um three, one, and an eight.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:02

That is succeeds with a major twist. So in lieu of a major twist, because this is just a simple a simple exchange of pleasantries, um we will say that Vanessa is still very thrilled to see you. Um her parents kind of pull her pull her along. Uh but you do see her mouth her mom mouth the word later.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:36

Sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:37

When uh when Vanessa is like gesturing to like go talk to talk to you, uh she just kind of goes later and leads her away.

SPEAKER_07 1:15:47

Okay. So I think Rio just kinda like winces a little because like she's gotten used to it, but it still doesn't feel great.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:55

Yeah, it's it's Vanessa looks kind of disappointed at that.

SPEAKER_07 1:15:59

Um but yeah, no, she kind of has to just brush it off and then follow after the others. It doesn't bring it up to the others, you know, just kind of just like, oh hey, no, I'm here, don't worry.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:12

Yeah, it's it's nothing, unfortunately, it's nothing you haven't seen before. Uh so you guys go uh to one of the main office buildings where uh tobacco has uh reclaimed his authority as uh king of the office district.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:29

King.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:29

Uh the hoboking. The hobo king of Colorado. Um and he you you lead him up, uh uh you are led up to uh the uh the former CEO's office of this building, where uh the last time you were here it was it was like ornately decorated in like you know, like business uh uh accoutrement, you know, uh nice ornate liquor like modern liquor cabinet, uh it had the little um uh clacking ball desk ornament on it. Uh all of that has been replaced with uh cardboard boxes. Uh there is there's a guy playing the harmonica in the corner of the office. Sure. Does he have a throne made out of bindles? Uh it's it's it's a throne made out of like milk cartons, a shopping cart. Uh there is a there is a a steel barrel that's not lit because that'd be a really bad idea in the middle of an office.

SPEAKER_09 1:17:33

Um I think I feel like one of the office bookshelves has all the books have been taken off of it, and instead it's a bunch of empty uh cans that have the recipes for really good chilies made in the in the last like two years.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:48

Um uh and he he he sits upright on his throne and he goes, Welcome my friends. Please, please come in, come in. I am I am overjoyed to see you all in in in such uh good health, and I I must thank you once more for dealing with the uh the the rabble outside. Once again I am in your debt regarding this. Uh actually.

unknown 1:18:14

Oh!

SPEAKER_03 1:18:14

Theme of Tobacco Slim. Holy shit.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:17

We have the theme of tobacco slim.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:20

There we go.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:21

Cool, perfect. Yeah, you gotta, as we do this, we have to start like adjusting volume on all of our sounds. I can't believe we have a soundboard now. I'm so happy.

SPEAKER_09 1:18:29

We have a little bit of guitar.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:30

I know.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:31

Um He he gestures the five of you in, uh, and he says, uh, everyone if you would please uh please allow me some privacy with my guests, and uh the guards and his hobo gesture gesture uh uh politely excuse themselves.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:49

It's just one of those hobo clowns where you can see stumble through the makeup. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:56

It's it's he's got like the really like sad grease paint on, but like he kinda he kind of gives you like gives tobacco like a really casual wave.

SPEAKER_09 1:19:04

I'm gonna be honest, I was envisioning that, but like the Harley Quinn version of that. Like gorgeous woman who has this really unkempt, like like melting off grease paint makeup and is very poorly dressed. 100% correct. But she is like also recognized as the stone cold baddie of the Sentinel Comics multiverse.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:30

Everyone calls her Judy. Oh, that's cute.

SPEAKER_07 1:19:33

Punch and Judy, I get it. Good job.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:35

Yeah. Um he brings the five of you in and he uh he first says uh he he looks at the three of you and he says, uh, first I must uh first express my condolences. I obviously know of the fate that befell Yellowstone. However, I also know that the three of you would have never allowed such an event of uh to take place if you had the power to do so. Uh I am sure that without your intervention the circumstances would have uh been much more dire indeed. Uh and as long as you are within uh within the sanctity of my kingdom, uh I vow that none of my people shall cause any sort of undue stress or harm to you.

SPEAKER_07 1:20:21

Can you bump his his theme down just a more?

SPEAKER_09 1:20:25

The soulful uh whistles and stuff kicked in, and then they they did like they were swelling.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:31

See, the problem is whenever I adjust the volume, it turns off too. There we go. Okay. Should be good now.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:36

Um. And uh and uh you you see Paige Turner kind of go kind of scoff a little bit as well. Um but she she kind of lets that moment pass. Um he says, I I have called called you all here for a reason. Um it is I I know that I have already asked much of you, uh, but I I fear I require your services once more, and there is no one I would rather trust with his mission than the the four of you and the additions of of of young of young Miss Molina here. And uh Pai Turner nods nods at uh nods at him and he says. I have received a letter from an old acquaintance of mine who has had a chance encounter with an associate of my son's. Uh based on the nature of the encounter, I I have reason to believe that my son Picante Slim is in grave danger, and he requires assistance of heroes such as yourselves.

SPEAKER_07 1:21:44

My god, we'll do anything for Picante Slim.

SPEAKER_09 1:21:47

Yeah, we still owe him after the gr after the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota.

SPEAKER_07 1:21:51

I still don't think that was him.

SPEAKER_09 1:21:53

I'm pretty sure it was him.

SPEAKER_07 1:21:54

I don't know. It just doesn't seem I mean, why would he be in Minnesota?

SPEAKER_01 1:21:59

Listen, if if you rescue him now, we'll be able to ask him for sure.

SPEAKER_09 1:22:05

Pluto, like, does their best to like uh not lecturing, but kind of like they're reciting uh learned information and say, you know the path of the hobo can take someone anywhere.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:20

Young Pluto is wise beyond their ears.

SPEAKER_09 1:22:24

Something that literally only tobacco slim will ever say in their human life.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:30

And you you also you also see uh uh Arthur has crossed his arms and he is nodding solemnly. Paige Turner has gone from scoffing to just being a little confused. Like, wait, that you're l legit, like you're what? Am I am I missing something?

SPEAKER_07 1:22:52

Pluto has has earned the respect of the Hobo King. Keep up.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:56

Um And he he uh he he says that um he says I as you as I have informed you all, uh the last time my son and I spoke, uh some harsh and bitter words were exchanged, words that I now regret deeply. I I have no illusions that my son would ever want to see me again, but I I do love him still, and I only want to know that he is safe and and in good health. Um in these years since I last spoke to him, I I thought he was embarking on a fool's errand, but lately I I feel that uh the Brotherhood of Hobo Kings has fallen astray, and that perhaps his journey had some merit. Perhaps the sword of the one true hobo king can save us all.

SPEAKER_07 1:23:52

God, I'm always saying this.

SPEAKER_09 1:23:55

I I feel like there's a cut-in panel from a prior issue of a time that we encountered a hobo vizier.

SPEAKER_07 1:24:01

We had to have meant a different hobo king, right? Like we've been traveling a lot.

SPEAKER_09 1:24:05

And like the hobo vizier is just a guy who also kind of looks like the hobo king, but he has on one of those green poker visors.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:12

No, I was thinking instead, Saturn was a normal-looking hobo as the king, with like, you know, just just j just looks like the quintessential hobo king. Right next to him is a radtier-looking dude with a tinfoil hat made to made the shape of Jafar's head.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:34

Yes, you you three have definitely encountered um members of the Brotherhood of the Hobokings.

SPEAKER_07 1:24:41

Sure, sure, sure, definitely.

SPEAKER_09 1:24:43

There's a panel of the guy in the tinfoil turban, like, whispering in a hobo king's ear like worm tongue.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:48

Yeah. You you there's there's like flashback panels of you like like in combat with someone, and there is like uh an older man with like uh a cr a Burger King crown on and like a cloak made of like an old beach towel, and he's like wounded, and you're defending him from some attacker.

SPEAKER_07 1:25:11

Oh yeah, like it's the gravest situation we've ever seen. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:16

Um and and Arthur is just nodding along entirely like anything involving um swords that would crown someone uh the one true king. Uh obviously Arthur's fully invested in that. No, that's his back entirely. And um Paige Turner is like, Well, why uh why do you need me? This is definitely not something that I would have any knowledge of whatsoever. Ah.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:49

But this is the most important thing that you must know. As a psychic, my one true weakness is tinfoil hats. We need a more powerful mystic.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:00

Uh he sa uh uh Tobacco Slim says, Yes, a powerful mystic is needed, but uh not for the reasons that you have suggested, Ali. Uh there is there's something much more foul at foot here. Uh and he he uh he he opens one of the drawers on the on the desk uh that's in front of his throne, and he pulls out a a letter uh scrawled on um some old and yellowed paper. Uh and he says, I will I will read aloud the letter that I received uh informing me of uh my son's current situation.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:36

Now, if you'll excuse me, real quick, let me get back into the voice I used to use when I was a professional e-book nine.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:43

Uh uh, where is it right here? Okay, let me turn this one down. Uh, and I will uh uh provide the uh voice of this letter here. I'll tell you what this letter says. My dearest friend tobacco. The sun has risen and set many a time since last we've had the pleasure of exchanging words. As you are aware, I am not usually one for placing quill to paper. Hopefully, the presence of this missive is an adequate enough illustration of the urgency in which I present to you this message. As my hand serves as the conduit from memory to written word, it was not twelve hours ago that I had the most peculiar of conversations with a man I had never met before.

SPEAKER_07 1:27:33

I want you to know that everybody is like leaning around this paper, like reading it together, and all Rio can think is just like, he has beautiful handwriting.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:43

It's just like immaculate cursive. Yeah, beautiful 1800 style like You can occasionally see like the dipping of like ink spots. Yes, like quilt paper is not an exaggeration.

SPEAKER_09 1:28:00

I feel like we also like see a panel that is like this person cast in like shadow as to suggest what they might look like, and it's very clearly someone who is modeled off of Cornelius from Aqua.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:13

Wearing like a fine tweed jacket and tiny little bifocals. Yes, exactly. Uh uh, just just writing his hands are like are like he's got the the hobo accoutrement of like bandaged hands, but otherwise very regal.

SPEAKER_07 1:28:32

Beautiful handwriting, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:34

Like it's this is not loose leaf paper, but like all of the words are like perfectly aligned.

SPEAKER_07 1:28:39

Of course.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:39

Like it's just immaculate. Uh but it would turn out that the threads of fate bound us clo together closer than one would imagine. For you see, this young man was a close acquaintance of your son on his quest to seek the sword of the one true hobo king. Now, tobacco, I know well of the bitter barbs you exchanged with Picante on your last conversation, and I would not dream of allowing such an acid to bubble to the surface of your heart with such a mundane story. I tell you of my encounter because I believe your son is in grave danger. According to this acquaintance won Hugo Dangle, Picante's adventures have led him to that which we previously thought the stuff of legend and folktale. Madame Moran's circuit phantom. It would appear that the reason this locale has remained undetected for our lives and the lives of our fathers and their fathers is because it is a place not meant for the eyes of those who still walk with a beat in our hearts and blood in our veins. The evidence would state that your son has found a way to cross the misty fields that stand between life and death to challenge what lies beyond. Know this that I would do anything in my power to either stop your son in this foolhearted quest or assist him in this brave peril. Regrettably, my authority has waned in recent years, and there is not much I can offer as assistance. I turn to you then, Tobacco, as I am aware you have powerful allies, folks with might and will to accomplish great things. Rely on them, and perhaps you and your son can one day be reunited. Yours truly, Boxcar's Erasmus, the hobo king of Oklahoma City.

SPEAKER_09 1:30:43

Pluto's just eyeing this letter and thinking to themselves, God, I can't understand what any of this about to say.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:49

Pluto's staring at this beautiful really glad that somebody else is reading it out loud, because this is all gibberish to Pluto. I like Pluto can't read. Pluto only knows one language written and it's Chinese. Like That's right.

SPEAKER_09 1:31:07

Oh unfortunately, the issue where Pluto's proficiency in the Chinese written language uh happened off air, and we'll only get that if we do as a like a flashback issue.

SPEAKER_07 1:31:17

Yeah, absolutely. Oh god.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:20

Holly has remained utterly stonefaced this entire time. Just like dead serious.

SPEAKER_07 1:31:26

Rio's just like nodding along, like, oh yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_09 1:31:29

And then she looked- I think Pluto well Pluto's also like, oh yeah, I remember hearing about Boxcar's Erasmus when we were back down near Oklahoma City. I know. I didn't know he was so eloquent.

SPEAKER_07 1:31:40

He's got beautiful handwriting. I can't get over it. So you're telling me, by the way, that this means that your son is in like hell or something?

SPEAKER_03 1:31:49

Uh Tobago Slim says. I I do not know much about uh about what uh what my dear friend Boxcars may have may have uh meant by this. He always had a way with words, and I admit that sometimes I was forced to simply nod along with what he was saying and hope that with context clues I could pick up uh what he meant. Oh good, it's not just me. No, no, no, no. He's always like this. It's it's very difficult sometimes to understand him, which is why usually we speak face to face, because I can sort of absorb what he wants from his expressions. Uh when he writes me letters like this, usually takes a day or two for me to understand what he meant.

SPEAKER_10 1:32:32

Uh but the thing about Erasmus that doesn't come through in his letter writing is that he has quite emotive facial expressions and can communicate a depth of information through simply the quirk of an eyebrow or a scant glance.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:45

Uh but mentioning Madame Moran's cirque de fantôme is so Yeah, what's that?

SPEAKER_07 1:32:49

It's like a French thing? Like the circus?

SPEAKER_03 1:32:54

The the Brotherhood of of the Hobo Kings has long spoken of such a place. Uh place that we thought would uh is the kind of place that would weigh our souls and determine whether or not we are worthy of ruling this great land. I always believed it to be some form of of metaphor for for judging us by our people and our actions, uh but it seems to be a real place that it requires one to uh be deceased, apparently.

SPEAKER_08 1:33:25

The Hobo hereafter.

SPEAKER_03 1:33:27

Uh he says, uh, he says, Now, uh, the reason, uh, young Arthur that I had you call upon your sorceress friend is because of this second page, and he he pulls out the the second page of the note, uh, and it's scribbled in the same beautiful calligraphy of Boxcar's Erasmus. And it is a string of uh of of symbols and runes and glyphs uh that uh the note mentions that uh Picante's associate, uh Hugo Dangle, uh provided to Boxcars. Uh but obviously boxcars not being one of of magic uh acquaintance has no idea what any of them mean. Uh and Paige Turner takes a look at the page and she looks at all of you, and she looks back at the page.

SPEAKER_07 1:34:26

Well?

SPEAKER_03 1:34:27

She goes, what the fuck is going on?

SPEAKER_07 1:34:33

Look, you're the one always talking, no, no, uh-uh. You're the one always talking about doing hero crap. Well, this is hero crap. No, okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:42

No, no, I I get that. I I have no problem with with with saving someone's life.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:47

That's fine with me, but what the fuck did he mean by fathers and f How long has this this Hobo King Brotherhood been going on?

SPEAKER_00 1:34:58

Since before the reboot.

SPEAKER_07 1:34:59

Oh yeah, that's gotta definitely be a thing that's always been a thing, right? Like, obviously.

SPEAKER_09 1:35:04

There's a helpful uh chibi uh notation that has like like chibi, like Pluto chibi, and then like one of those like helpful tips things that they do is like bonuses from manga that says, it is known that hobos do not have a strictly uh linear relationship with time.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:20

Uh she she goes bringing Ollie just bringing up, she's like, Yeah, I used to work for the hobo of the Dalls.

SPEAKER_06 1:35:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:28

Really?

SPEAKER_03 1:35:29

Yeah. Yeah. Wow, I didn't know about any of this. That's crazy. You know, when when Arthur mentioned like helping out the hobo king, I thought it was a a reboot superhero thing, but wow. Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_09 1:35:44

And she she This issue is feeding so much Reddit speculation about the reboot being caused by the Hobo magisters.

SPEAKER_07 1:35:50

Hang on, hang on. I have to be right back, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:53

Okay. I'm just I I I just love the idea of um the just the implication of all of Ollie going to like page turn, like, you've never your mom and dad paid for everything up till college, right? She's like, I mean, I know homeless people exist. Yeah, I had a little bit of wealth, but like I mean But but you just never really thought about like what that must have been like on the day-to-day, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:36:31

You're you know, you're right. This is totally my bad. I didn't expect there to be an entire hierarchy of hobo kings that apparently ruled the streets in a secret underground society. I mean, it's it's with their own.

SPEAKER_09 1:36:47

We so often accuse we so often accuse Ben of accidentally ripping off fate without realizing it, but I am, however, going to accuse Ben of absolute of accidentally ripping off specifically uh indigo prophecy. Don't you fucking put that on me? Just just just Pluto's just like, I'll be honest, the there being a uh a cast of the socioeconomically disenfranchised who were responsible for uh uh safeguarding this world's connection to the mystic wasn't really on my bingo card either.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:22

Uh you you see facante, he just goes, No, no, that's fair. We we kind of kept to ourselves before the reboot. We didn't really want word getting out of our uh society and our our our meetings and agendas uh so this is understandable, but after the reboot all bets were off, so you know we decided to make it public. I don't blame her for not knowing all the details about this.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:45

Yeah, I I'm honestly surprised that more of your secrets didn't get out during the Great Depression. Because you guys almost you guys almost like had the masquerade broken.

SPEAKER_09 1:37:56

We are painting a really rich uh through improv really rich character of the uh mystical hobo intrigue uh that permeates the background reality. This should have been here to begin with, to be fair, Saturn.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:10

We're getting dangerously close to me being like offensive to homeless people.

SPEAKER_09 1:38:16

We're getting dangerously close to writing a fucking white wolf uh game system. Um port your vampire the masquerade characters into our new game.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:29

I want to be clear that this is not me anyway trying to like uh like idealize homelessness or in any way make fun of homeless people.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:40

This is not this is not us making a bohemian approach to oh, what must it be like to be a rambler constantly on the walk. A tramp.

SPEAKER_09 1:38:52

I I will I will say that from my perspective, like me sitting here doing all these bits, I am imagining uh the the broad cadre of of Tobacco Slim and his contemporaries as being the sensible way to depict elves in a nominally realistic post-American fantasy setup. That's correct.

SPEAKER_03 1:39:17

Thank you, Saturn. You nailed it. You figured out what I was going for.

SPEAKER_09 1:39:23

Yeah, like we're literally like we're talking, we're we we are like going to whatever the fucking elf town is called in Lord of the Rings right now. You know, we're talking like Picante Slim is is legalist, basically.

SPEAKER_03 1:39:36

Essentially, yeah. Um this is just this is just me being making a goof. So if anyone is is upset by this and think I have anything against or or am in any way mocking homeless people in the real world, I'm not. This is me interpreting a a standard archetype from Americana.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:58

Um that didn't that was That always was the intent here. I just thought it was extremely funny to line up how how often magic dies as technology gets better with oh the elves got str uh the elves got weaker after the Great Depression uh almost exposed them.

SPEAKER_07 1:40:21

Okay, I'm back. I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_09 1:40:22

Goodbye, we've been getting really in depth just to the into the lore of the hobo.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:28

Sarah returns just in time for me to stop uh my editorializing me and and and uh uh avoiding uh offending anyone who might be homeless or anything like that.

SPEAKER_07 1:40:39

Um quit your high gaken.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:42

That all being said, uh Paigeurner just kind of shrugs and goes, Alright, well let me take a look at this here then. Um and she uh by the way, Paige Turner has been this whole time. I don't know if I described her in fully like she's wearing like a little like a little mage's cloak and she's got like a big pointy wide-brimmed hat, uh, looking very like she's oh so ready to throw some spells. Um she pulls out these giant round glasses uh and puts them on so that she can Saturn?

SPEAKER_09 1:41:18

Or are they kind of swirly?

SPEAKER_03 1:41:19

They're a little bit swirly, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:41:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:41:22

Uh so she can take a look at the uh at the uh symbols and runes. Um she's kind of goes Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:41:37

Okay. I guess that can you do this or not? Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:50

Look, sometimes it takes a little bit to like read the cool bats.

SPEAKER_09 1:41:54

Oh, I'm kind of remembering this is this this is reminding me the time I was pretending that I actually remembered, I actually learned how to read.

SPEAKER_03 1:42:03

She while she's while she's making noises, she like holds the page out in front of her and she tilts it 90 degrees, flips it over and holds it to the light so she can see through it. And she's like, Oh. Oh, okay. It's a spell to open a gate between this world and the next.

SPEAKER_06 1:42:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:42:31

That sounds convenient. So she kind of scratches her head and goes, I can do it. But it really works a lot better if we have some kind of conduit. Um What do you need out of a conduit? Well, she says, well anyone who's magically inclined can do it, but it's really better if there's anyone who's um undead? Do you happen to know like any ghosts or zombies or vampires or anything?

SPEAKER_07 1:43:16

I mean, we know a ghost, but she's all the way in the green zone. And also I don't think she can leave.

SPEAKER_03 1:43:22

Well, we just need I just need her to to kind of act like a tether. Like a thing to channel energy. Well, I mean, like, she she would obviously feel the rush of energy flowing through her, but I feel like my I feel like my my regent could probably use a shot in the arm.

SPEAKER_08 1:43:43

I mean we haven't really been back to check back there in a minute, huh?

SPEAKER_09 1:43:46

I kind of just left her in charge and didn't. I'm sure it's fine.

SPEAKER_07 1:43:51

That's fine. Ashley's responsible-ish.

SPEAKER_03 1:43:54

Well, yeah, I mean, if you know a ghost, that would be the best. So even if she's in the green zone, I mean I've been working at my teleport spells, I can probably get you guys there pretty quickly.

SPEAKER_09 1:44:06

Like, it's either that or you use me, and I don't think that's gonna work as well.

SPEAKER_07 1:44:09

I don't think you're technically on bill.

SPEAKER_03 1:44:11

She goes, No, if it's anyone, it's gonna be her, and she points to Ryo. You're the most magically attuned here.

SPEAKER_07 1:44:18

I mean, I could do it. I can attempt to do it.

SPEAKER_09 1:44:21

Pluto pouting Pluto pouting crosses their arms such that the camera draws really in on their big glowing chest wound that's constantly pouring fog.

SPEAKER_08 1:44:31

Okay. Okay, fine.

SPEAKER_03 1:44:32

She goes, she goes, Well, we can try you and see if that works, and if not, we can just fall back and talk to your ghost friend.

SPEAKER_06 1:44:40

Yeah, I mean I can do it. Why not?

SPEAKER_03 1:44:45

Uh, Sarah, give me, let's see, give me an overcome with a negative four.

SPEAKER_07 1:44:54

Fine. Um, in that case, I am going to use uh the principle of great power, because it's extremely applicable here. Um overcome a situation using cosmic and use your max die, you and each of your allies gain a hero point. So we are going to overcome with uh a six, an eight, and a ten as always. Six for status die, eight for Witch of Eden, and ten for cosmic.

SPEAKER_09 1:45:26

I forget you used your other principle as well, right?

SPEAKER_07 1:45:29

No, I should have, I should have earlier. Um, and it it didn't seem quite right, but then I realized I probably could have used it then.

SPEAKER_09 1:45:36

Um trying to keep track of how many times we've rolled uh principles this issue. Two so far. That's what I thought.

SPEAKER_07 1:45:43

This will be this will be number two because Ollie hasn't used any of hers yet either. So we're gonna roll six ten.

SPEAKER_03 1:45:55

Okay. So that's a six ten minus four, so that is a succeed with a minor twist. Um let's see, four minor twist. Let's see.

SPEAKER_07 1:46:23

The one on mine is how do you restrain yourself from using your full power? But that might not work.

SPEAKER_09 1:46:32

I mean, a minor twist could be the uh I have to stop myself from this uh gate or whatever opening too big.

SPEAKER_07 1:46:40

Right, from consuming like all of I don't know, Lobo King's kingdom.

SPEAKER_09 1:46:44

Yeah, say we're kind of just doing this in his in his throat.

SPEAKER_03 1:46:47

Yeah, you are kind of doing this in the middle in like where hope where where uh uh tobacco can see you.

SPEAKER_07 1:46:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10 1:46:55

Um good lord, I can't get out of my office now. Um There's a damn portal to the nether making all sorts of un unpleasant noises, and it's where my door to the office used to be. I think I'm stuck in here. A hobo living in one place. Whoever heard a who could imagine.

SPEAKER_07 1:47:16

Whoever heard of such malarkey.

SPEAKER_03 1:47:18

This poppycock is what it is. Uh but by the way, by the way, the uh the the the the um court, like the court he set up in the in the CEO's office, that's where he does his business. Like he lives outside in a tent. Like he goes outside in the tent. Yeah, it well it's like druids, right?

SPEAKER_09 1:47:35

He can't actually stay in the office or he loses his his Hobo King certitude.

SPEAKER_07 1:47:40

Right, but this is where he receives his subjects who, you know, uh, who who give you know air their grievances to their lord and king. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:47:50

When he has to do his civic duties, he has to do so in office.

SPEAKER_07 1:47:53

Right, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 1:47:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:47:55

Um, we can take this outside. We don't have to do it right here. We can do it up on the roof. That would be kind of cool.

SPEAKER_03 1:48:03

Uh I'm going to say your minor twist is a major twist. Let's say four. Let's say for the next issue, you're going to start with a negative two hinder.

SPEAKER_06 1:48:36

I can do that.

SPEAKER_03 1:48:37

Uh, because we're gonna we're wrapping this one up relatively soon. And um there's not gonna be any more, I don't really a whole lot of more chances for rolling here. But start of next issue, you will have a negative two hinder from uh having to kind of per usual when your powers get overwhelming, forcibly cutting yourself off.

SPEAKER_07 1:48:58

Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:48:59

And instead of instead of tapering off, you just kind of like force-stop yourself. Um and uh that always kind of hurts a little bit.

SPEAKER_06 1:49:10

Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:49:10

Um But you do succeed. You uh you you manage to uh the there's a sort of crackling and swirling energy uh flowing out of both you and Paige Turner. Um as you uh as the five of you are uh suddenly like like there's just like this swirling energy encompasses you um and you see uh tobacco like reach out from behind his desk and he goes uh goes, Oh you're leaving now! Good good luck to all of you and and and safe travels and um and his voice kind of like fades away as he tries to stammer out his uh his his his farewells. Um sorry, his voice is a little tough on me. You um and you are surrounded by this ethereal fog completely uh uh uh encompassing your vision as it swirls around you and then swirling starts to dissipate. And in the fog, in these like gaps in the fog, you can still see the office that you were in. Um but it's quickly being overtaken by something different. Uh you can see you're still recognizably in the field that the office district is located in. But as as your vision kind of becomes clearer, the fog starts to dissipate a little bit more and those visions of the living world fade away. Any sign of like human hand is sort of gone. Like there's no more building there, there's no more paved road. Um there are these gnarled and tangled trees in certain areas, no leaves on them whatsoever, uh just dry and brittle looking. The ground is uneven, and the grass is where there is grass is is decaying and yellowing. Um it's still daytime, but the sky is darker. Uh you can still see what would be the sun, but the light coming off of it is very dim. And there is just this uh sort of haunting feel that uh as the five of you settle into this new lane between life and death.

SPEAKER_07 1:52:05

I think there's kind of like a moment of everybody looking around, and everybody was just like a lot here of a place than I ever expected tobacco to send us.

SPEAKER_03 1:52:26

Uh Arthur has a hand on his sword, ready for anything. Um Pluto, you mentioned that earlier, but I think this is a good time to follow up on that just to make it clear. Um something, whatever happened in Yellowstone, Pluto now has the has the scabbard of Excalibur. Arthur's sword is now bound to his back with just some with some simple leather straps. Um but he's gotta hand out his sword. Pageur takes off her glasses to kind of get a better look at what's going on. Um and she just goes, wow. You know, I always kind of figured there would be some kind of afterlife or something beyond, but wow, it really just looks like this, huh? Um this one's a little bit this one's a little uh quieter, so I can turn it up in. Um and she goes she she still has the note from uh from Boxcar's Erasmus in her hand. And she goes, uh she looks at the runes again and she goes, Well this told us how to get here, but it doesn't really have anything else on what to do. And she kind of trails off. And she's looking she's looking at you, at you, Ryo and Pluto, the three of you, uh, but she's looking over your shoulders.

SPEAKER_08 1:53:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:53:57

And she kinda raises a hand silently and points uh past you.

SPEAKER_07 1:54:03

Yeah, no. Uh I assume the three of us all turn around.

SPEAKER_09 1:54:09

Makes sense to me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:54:11

You see these glowing wisps of fog, the fog that kind of surrounds the entire area here. Um some of that fog is starting to swirl and coalesce into a more distinct shape. Some of it looks like a like a glowing blue flame, and that flame starts to expand. Um and you see other of these these floating glowing wisps, kind of like fireflies in the night, but they're a bit larger, and they're starting kind of to like taking some form of of shape. Some of them are staying as these small little wisps, others are kind of forming together to take on a more vaguely humanoid shape, and they are approaching uh from one side of the field, and they are slowly encroaching on you. Um and as they get closer and closer, they just sort of pass by you. They're all heading in in one direction, like dozens of them are going slowly uh from one side of the field to another. Again, it's all just open right now. There's no real landmarks or any sort of like physical structure that you can see at this point. Uh but all these all of these wisps are heading to one uh one location. Hmm.

SPEAKER_06 1:55:56

I mean I guess we should.

SPEAKER_08 1:56:00

Kante's gotta be that way, right?

SPEAKER_07 1:56:01

Yeah, we gotta follow them, right?

SPEAKER_08 1:56:03

Okay. Makes sense to me.

SPEAKER_03 1:56:07

Right, I think that's a good idea. Uh Arthur keeps a hand.

SPEAKER_09 1:56:12

Pluto seems uh visibly unconcerned about the fact that the uh amount of fog pouring out of their wound is uh significantly larger and more clear than it usually is when they're not like you know, actively fighting for their life. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 1:56:30

You you do see like a few of the more uh coalesced wisps that are kind of forming these more humanoid figures. You see, like, there's it's like a torso and then two extremities that kind of form the shape of arms with like a a bit on top to form like a head. Um they kind of looking like a like a a cloaked figure almost, with no nothing visible underneath the the hood of their cloak. Three of them kind of float up to your group and they kind of they they stop the the just unceasing march and they swirl around you like they're studying the five of you. And one tilts its head to the side, looks to the other two, and then all three of them slowly raise their hand and point in the direction the other spirits are going. And they look to the five of you.

SPEAKER_09 1:57:28

Yeah, yeah, we get it. Pluto says crossing the round.

SPEAKER_07 1:57:33

Um it's like getting directions, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:57:37

Yeah. Uh as the five of you start walking in that in that direction, um, you start seeing less and less of the kind of more ethereal wisps, and the more humanoid ones kind of take over as the majority of the group, uh, they're kind of like forming themselves as they traverse, uh looking less and less uh like these um spirits and starting to really take the form of human beings.

unknown 1:58:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:58:14

Um and as you walk through the fog, you are joined by these by a crowd of of people. Um you remember what Ashley looked like. She had, you know, sallow eyes, she was a little bit uh her her skin was pale, obviously. Um her skin kind of sunken, and you remember, Ryo, you remember the wound on her side, uh, which was the the uh death blow. A lot of these spirits have similar things. Uh some of them have signs of illness. Um a lot of them are older, uh, you know, like elderly people. Uh ones that are younger have signs of some kind of of disease or some kind of what would be a fatal injury, uh slashes in their necks, uh a hole in their torso. Um that kind of thing. But none of them seem to be in any kind of pain or in any kind of suffering. They're just kind of slowly making their way to wherever this wherever the whatever their goal is, and as you get through the fog, you uh start to actually see a structure uh first in silhouette, and then as you get closer, you realize it is a train station.

SPEAKER_00 1:59:44

Trains, trains, trains, trains!

SPEAKER_03 1:59:47

Um and these Sarah has been activated. These ghosts are in fact lining up at the There's like a section of the train station that's that's gated off, there's there's ticket booths, and these ghosts are uh getting in line. Uh in front of the ticket booths.

SPEAKER_01 2:00:13

Ollie's just like, oh, I love this movie, and gets in line.

unknown 2:00:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 2:00:18

Pluto gets in line behind Ollie, and I think the thing that we see with Pluto, aside from all the the fog gushing out of the cursed chest wound, is that without them having commented on it at all, uh they are flanked by uh an unspecif a non-specific number of ghosts that kind of look like knights with their swords drawn, almost like flanking them in a defensive formation. Ooh, okay. And they look a lot like, you know, the ones that are all around here, but they're very clearly like centered around Pluto. Right.

SPEAKER_03 2:00:52

Okay. Um as you get in line, um, and and as these these spectral knights emerge behind around Pluto, uh you see the ghost that stood in line behind you. Uh see these spectral uh knights form around them, and you hear that you hear this ghost go, Hey, no cutting.

SPEAKER_09 2:01:21

I'm sorry, man. They're kind of uh uh stuck here.

SPEAKER_03 2:01:27

They go, alright, fine. Uh look, I'll cover your ticket. It's the the ghosts formerly the as you were walking, the ghosts kind of, besides the three that kind of hovered around you, none of them really took any notice of you. And none of them really seem to have any kind of like uh awareness besides just going forward. But now that they're kind of settling in line, you can hear these very low murmurs of conversation. Um they are some of them are looking towards you with with suspicion and confusion. You are all, the five of you are all still very much alive and solid, and you do stand out. You do not have the sort of translucence that the ghosts have. Um you you uh have a much different energy uh than the rest of them. But they they don't really do anything besides just kind of murmur to themselves and wait in line. You can see some of them are are are getting impatient. Um different manner of dress happening, by the way. There's modern, there's there's some that are dressed like it's the 1800s, uh just a whole uh like cornucopia of of eras going on here.

SPEAKER_09 2:02:49

One of the ghosts is getting into an argument with one of Pluto's ghosts, and the uh the dialogue boxes are all like blank and small, and another one of Pluto's ghosts is trying to break them up.

SPEAKER_03 2:03:00

Yeah. Uh there is yeah, there's there's a lot of that back and forth happening. The line is moving pretty steadily. Um you guys are are are are moving along, and um the uh uh eventually you get up to the ticket booth and the um uh the um the the person behind that counter, the the spectra spirit behind that counter, uh holds out his hand and says, uh A party of five is it then. Uh if you will present me your tickets and I shall stamp them.

SPEAKER_07 2:03:42

Oh. Um. There's like this moment of everybody like kind of looking between each other.

SPEAKER_09 2:03:51

Cluota looks to their ghosts and the ghosts all kind of like shrug.

SPEAKER_01 2:03:54

Ollie's just holding out her wrist like she's going to a carnival and expecting them to stamp her like the back of her wrist.

SPEAKER_03 2:04:00

Um He kind of it's more doesn't he like your your tickets, please?

SPEAKER_07 2:04:06

Um, I think we forgot them.

SPEAKER_03 2:04:10

He he he kind of he wasn't really looking at you carefully, but now he kind of lifts his head up and he looks at you with with wider eyes. He's uh he's dressed in like an old-timey like like uh coachman's outfit, like like he's got like a really tall hat, he's got a very thin mustache and little beady glasses. Tom Hanks, is that you? Yeah. Uh and he goes, he he looks up and he goes, uh he kind of chuckles with realization, he goes, Oh, I I see. No, no. You do have your tickets. Everyone who comes here has a ticket. You get one when you're born. Uh and he says, if you'll just if the five of you will just reach into your pockets, I'm sure you'll find them.

SPEAKER_07 2:04:54

And uh Pluto Pluto complies, and there's like, I mean, I wasn't born per se, but uh you did kind of wake up here and it kind of made things a little funky for you.

unknown 2:05:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:05:06

Uh as you all reach into your pockets, you do in fact find a small slip of paper.

SPEAKER_07 2:05:11

I do want to point out Rio does not have pockets and has to reach into one of Pluto's because she makes me carry a lot of things for her.

SPEAKER_03 2:05:19

Pluto's just like, oh, why didn't you put that there? Pluto, you do you do in fact find two slips of paper.

SPEAKER_07 2:05:23

Huh.

SPEAKER_09 2:05:24

Um Pluto chooses not to read into the fact that they have Rio's ticket already.

SPEAKER_07 2:05:30

Yeah, don't worry about it.

SPEAKER_03 2:05:31

Um he he the the the uh the man behind the the in the booth says uh oh don't worry, your tickets are always within reach. Uh and he you you all hand him the tickets and uh To you they kind of look like blank strips of paper, but to him there's obviously something more that he can recognize, and he goes, My my my the five of you are certainly uh checking in early. Your tickets aren't these your rides aren't due for quite some time. Are you sure you wish to cash them in now?

SPEAKER_09 2:06:09

Um, I mean we're we're looking for someone at the circus, uh, if you know anything about the circus.

SPEAKER_04 2:06:16

Uh Cirque de Phantom? Yeah. You're not you're not the first to uh check in their ticket early on this way.

SPEAKER_03 2:06:26

We've had one of those very recently. And he he kind of chuckles to himself and he says. Normally I wouldn't do this, but since the five of you are coming in early, uh I do have to ask, would you prefer to make this a round trip and come back here when you're done? Or shall I make this a permanent one-way trip?

SPEAKER_07 2:06:48

No, no, no, no, no. That's that's uh round trip. Yeah. Round trip to the city.

SPEAKER_01 2:06:51

No, no, round trip, I'm Yeah, I would prefer that yeah. Mm-hmm. Yes, K. Yes, Karen. Yeah, yes, Karen. Yeah, it's going to be round it's gonna be a round trip.

SPEAKER_09 2:07:02

I don't think I'm allowed to come back here either permanently, so.

SPEAKER_04 2:07:05

Uh you you you see him, you see me says, uh, uh, uh yes, well, no, we do have your name in our forms. It's a very unique form, but don't worry, you're accounted for.

SPEAKER_03 2:07:18

Uh, he says, I'll go ahead and exchange these for round trip tickets, and I'll be right back. And he turns away into the booth and he goes further and uh out of sight. Um, and you hear some of the ghosts behind you go, uh one of the ghosts kind of goes, uh, lucky, you get to come home.

SPEAKER_07 2:07:36

Just a lot of kind of awkward shuffling in the front of the line, you know.

SPEAKER_03 2:07:40

Yeah, you're you're you're also you are holding up the line.

SPEAKER_07 2:07:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:07:44

Like these these fucking uh livings coming in here, and you know, uh you hear you hear one of them dressed in a Hawaiian shirt with sunblock on his nose and glasses, he goes, tourists.

SPEAKER_07 2:07:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 2:07:59

One of the uh armored ghosts around Pluto is uh bowing with their hands on their knees very apologetically, and the other one's like holding up what looks like a like ID card on a lanyard and pointing at it.

SPEAKER_07 2:08:14

Uh so what's with the with the the kind of idle gesturing?

SPEAKER_09 2:08:22

Oh, you know.

SPEAKER_03 2:08:24

Arthur goes I don't. This is new to me as well.

SPEAKER_09 2:08:30

Well, it didn't start happening until after uh this, and then Pluto uh pats the uh empty scabbard that they're currently wearing on their waist, but uh they continue. Uh I mean they're I think they come from the the thing I got from before that, uh they say, pointing at their chest wound, but honestly, your guess is as good as mine.

SPEAKER_03 2:08:52

Uh Paige Turner kind of shrugs and she goes, Well, Artie, maybe they were always there, and we just never noticed because we never came here.

SPEAKER_09 2:09:03

Oh, they come around some other times too. I never quite catch their names, though.

SPEAKER_08 2:09:07

Just leaves my memory.

SPEAKER_03 2:09:09

And Arthur goes, Great, you have powers I don't. That's fantastic. I love to hear that. Uh the uh the the uh ticketmaster comes back and he says, Ah yes, here we go. Five round trip round tip tickets. You said you were heading to uh to Madame and Cirque de Fantome, is that correct? Or Madame and Ran's Cirque de Fantome, is that correct?

SPEAKER_07 2:09:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:09:35

Alright, you'll be boarding on on platform four. If you just walk down that way and turn left, you'll find it. It's very difficult to miss. Uh there won't be many many of us c heading that way, so uh good luck on your journey, and hopefully this won't be the last time I see you. Oh, don't worry, it won't. Yeah, we'll be back in the street. He says, that's the spirit.

SPEAKER_07 2:09:58

Ha ha ha, spirit. You guys It's a funny joke.

SPEAKER_09 2:10:03

One of the knights in armor is crossing their arms and just glaring at Rio.

SPEAKER_06 2:10:08

What, was that was that rude? Should I not?

SPEAKER_09 2:10:10

And Plutarch's like, oh, calm down, you big baby.

SPEAKER_01 2:10:15

He's the one who said it.

SPEAKER_03 2:10:17

He uh he he waves you off and he again points the direction you need to head to. You walk up to the platform. Um The weird thing about this train station, it's it's very robust. There are there are a lot of different platforms, they're all numbered, there's ghosts gathering on each of them, various uh you know numbers, groups huddling together. There are no tracks. It's just the station. Um and the reason there are no tracks, as you see, because as you're walking your way to the platform, you see one of the trains pull up, the tracks form in front of the train and behind and disappear behind the train as it pulls up.

SPEAKER_07 2:11:00

Ghost train. Ghost train. Makes sense.

SPEAKER_03 2:11:04

So there's no there isn't really a discernible, like uh augmented, like, or like cemented in path. It's just the train kind of just goes to its destination. Um and as you stand there and wait for your train, you you get to your platform and you're standing there waiting, there's only a few other ghosts heading that way. Um and they all look specifically circus-esque. Um you see uh some dressed in clown garb, there are a few like uh like it's it's either circus or burlesque.

SPEAKER_07 2:11:47

Sure.

SPEAKER_03 2:11:47

Um but they all do they all the same, they all have the the same kind of like vaguely sunken, sallow appearance to them as they're kind of still struggling to reform their body. To what they once were. But they are very patiently waiting, and they kind of silently acknowledge you, and um eventually, after some time, uh you hear the whistling of the train. And as it pulls up, we will end the issue there.

SPEAKER_09 2:12:21

Uh Pluto uh comments without uh getting a reply in the panel. Do you think this is where the hobojesters go when they die?

SPEAKER_00 2:12:29

It's the last line, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:12:31

My my funny tagline that I was gonna try and end it on was oh fuck, we're going to Portland. Uh there we go.

SPEAKER_07 2:12:40

We're back.

SPEAKER_09 2:12:41

We're back, baby. We're back.

SPEAKER_07 2:12:44

We're so back.

SPEAKER_09 2:12:44

Would it be too long-winded to call this issue Hobo Jesters Go to Portland When They Die?

SPEAKER_00 2:12:52

There are wordier ones in More Than Meets the Eye. Uh what was that again, Saturn? Hobo Jesters Go to Portland When They Die?

SPEAKER_07 2:12:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:13:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 2:13:02

It's pretty good, actually. No, we're keeping it. Hobojesters go to Portland when they die. It's true. I mean, that sounds that sounds correct to me. Sorry.

SPEAKER_03 2:13:12

Uh there you go. We are done with issue 16, uh, first issue of volume four.

SPEAKER_07 2:13:20

I'm excited. I'm happy to be back.

SPEAKER_03 2:13:23

I hope you all had fun.

SPEAKER_07 2:13:25

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 2:13:25

Very.

SPEAKER_06 2:13:26

Very.

SPEAKER_03 2:13:27

And uh we will be back uh in the near future to uh see where this train takes y'all.

SPEAKER_07 2:13:34

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_04 2:13:36

Um all right. Good night, everyone. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 2:13:39

If you're hearing this episode early, I have to do this every time. If you're hearing this episode a week early, thank you very much. We appreciate you as always. If you're hearing it a week after the Patreon people, we still appreciate you. If you like what you're hearing and you want to get it a week earlier than everybody else, that's patreon.com slash thegorge for just three dollars a month. Um, we appreciate you listening to our TTRPG podcast no matter what. But if you want to get it a little bit earlier and kick us a little bit of money, which helps us a lot, um we would really, really love that. So yeah, patreon.com slash the gorge. Thank you. Good night.

SPEAKER_09 2:14:16

Yeah. Your support enables us to uh feel encouraged to spend a bunch of time doing not only this, but also like streams and stuff. So, you know, we appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 2:14:26

Yeah, right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:14:27

Um also one final thing, one final like stinger for this issue. Uh we cut back to the office district uh where Guinevere uh slowly her eyes flutter open and she sits up and she goes, Arthur, Arthur dear? And uh Tobacco Slim is next to her and he says, uh, oh he's gone, darling.

SPEAKER_04 2:14:52

And he she goes, Oh okay.

SPEAKER_03 2:15:01

And that's it. Then we're we're out. Good night, everyone.

SPEAKER_05 2:15:05

Good night.