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Encounter Conditions
Only after you discover the artist's location in slags lab hacking.
Initial Text
Wandering through the lab, you eventually make your way down towards the "priority care" room the server mentioned. It's definitely unlike any of the other long-term care rooms or operating theaters you've run into here.
The room is open, leaving the comatose patient and his monitoring systems clearly visible from the hall. But, where a door might be in a normal room, there's a thin shimmering film of light.
More than anything else, it honestly looks like a forcefield from a science fiction show. But, unless someone's keeping a big secret, not even the corps have found something like that yet.
Summary of Choices
- Walk in - get 5 XP in Will, take 1 damage
- Hit the field - get 5 XP in Strength, take 1 damage
- Shoot him (evil) - Get Pyro
- Return his book - (only with Living Sketchbook) take 1-4? damage
- Wait a while - get 4 XP in Perception, unlocks Dr. Mira's Team
- Leave it
Choice Text and Results
Walk in
You nonchalantly walk into the flickering barrier, only to be shocked and knocked back. Wow, that kind of stung.
You take 1 damage.
You've earned 5 XP in Will
(Or, if Etheric)
You walk nonchalantly into the flickering barrier. When you touch it, the light recoils like a serpent.
Moments later, it's descended on you with claw and fang forged from the same flickering light.
(Fight a Force Beast)
Hit the field
You lash out against the wall, beating it again and again. Shimmering light arcs back, cutting into you in return.
After the first few tries, you notice anything you're holding passes through the wall effortlessly. It's only when you touch the wall that it shocks you.
Although the wall's bloodied you, it doesn't seem any worse for the wear. Nor does it seem the patient within has noticed anything amiss.
You take 1 damage.
You've earned 5 XP in Strength
(Or, if Etheric)
You begin to beat on the barrier furiously. Rather unlike its placid appearance moments before, the barrier howls in rage and folds into a creature of flickering light.
(Fight a Force Beast)
Shoot him (evil)
Somewhat to your surprise, the bullet passes seamlessly through the shimmering barrier. A perfectly aimed shot shatters his head, leaving blood and brain to trail down the walls.
Though splattered in blood, the nearest monitoring device emits a high-pitched warning tone as the values it measures drop to zero.
The tone is cut short as the blood splattered on the monitor flickers into flame. A heartbeat later, the concrete walls are on fire, then the flames reach the body itself.
A wave of flame rolls out of the room, shattering the barrier and the archway that held it. The flames surround you, almost embracing you, as they push you back down the burning hall.
Eventually the fire stops as suddenly as it came, but you can't say whether it vanished or found a new home within you.
You take 706 damage.
You've learned a new Skill: Pyro
(If the field is removed)
You walk up to his bedside, firing a single point-blank shot. A perfectly aimed shot shatters his head, leaving blood and brain to trail down the walls.Though splattered in blood, the nearest monitoring device emits a high-pitched warning tone as the values it measures drop to zero.
The tone is cut short as the blood splattered on the monitor flickers into flame. A heartbeat later, the concrete walls are on fire, then the flames reach the body itself.
(So, normal aside from first line)
Return his book
(Only with Living Sketchbook)
You move forward, book in hand, only to be knocked back by the barrier, leaving harsh welts on your skin. Even the book won't move through, crackling against the barrier's surface.
Oddly, none of your other possessions seem to have that problem.
You take 1-4? damage.
Wait a while
You wait down the hall from the strange barrier, pretending to be busy while watching passersby. Eventually a small group breaks off from the main flow of traffic, lead by a woman wearing a fairly nice set of shades for HUD.
Although it's at a bad angle, you're pretty sure her name tag read "Dr. Mira." Judging by the way she's utterly ignoring the rest of the people with her, she's probably in charge.
The whole crew walk nonchalantly through the barrier and begin examining the patient. You can't get too close without alerting them, but it looks the barrier's still there, they just walked right through.
You wander off to think about that before anyone gets too suspicious.
You've earned 4 XP in Perception
(Unlocks Dr. Mira's Team encounter)
(Or, if Dr. Mira is dead)
You stare at the barrier, slowly wiling away the time and pretending to be busy. Eventually, people start to get suspicious, providing you with an excuse to head somewhere else.
You've earned 3 XP in Perception