The plot thickens... Installment 2
A lot has happened since the last update, including several new Guests that have recently shown up, including Ton'yell, Jasper, and Alex/Jesse/Chris. Since arriving, they've encounter Maria and Martin who attempted to recruit them to the MADmen's team.
As this transpired, Ro and Henry split up from Arthur, Andreas, and Gregory as they continued to search for a way across the precarious bridge, Ro and Henry attempted to find a way into the castle from the chasm below while the others began to crawl across, meeting minor resistance from an infected elf and its entourage of nutcrackers. Ro and Henry, however, met the slightly more effective resistance of a yeti in the depths of the chasms, causing Henry to call upon Shepard for assistance.
Once the three topside reached the castle gate, they were granted access by a sanitary-looking elf and his group of what were obviously elfs of the medical or scientific profession. Before long, Ro and Henry passed through the castle basement and met up with the others. Arthur, who was beyond tired from healing everyone earlier, was given some Elf Candy to keep going as they rose to the top of the castle and entered Santa's lair.
After the horribly-deformed Santa "Claws" awoke, he killed the group of elfs looking after him and cut off the floodlights, rendering the moonlight coming from a large window the only source of light. With some quick thinking, Henry did his best to defend the group with his TK while Ro and Arthur distracted Santa and led him towards the window where Andreas mustered up all of his telekinetic strength to send Santa flying through the window. Soon after killing the once beloved Santa Clause and realizing that they were probably going to hell for just killing Santa, Shepard arrived, taking care of the escaped hostile elfs waiting outside and leading the group back to and through the door, bringing them into the scene happening on just the other side.
The Workmen and MADmen being no friends of each other, tensions quickly rose as the two opposites argued and attempted to win over the guests. Given the tight quarters of the room, the "meeting" was quickly moved to the Dance Hall. Dawn, a small girl obviously familiar with Empyrea and the Workmen, and Mason, another Workman, was soon to show up, shortly followed by Munkwon, yet another MADman. After revealing the origins of their hostility and hinting at the dangers and origin of the virus, MADMAN'S PLIGHT, plaguing Empyrea as well as to how the MADmen, led by the MADHATTER, stumbled upon Empyrea supposedly in search of a cure while, unintentionally or otherwise, bringing the disease to the new world in the form of a contained army of infected victims.
The Guests split up, Gregory, Henry, and Andreas taking the MADmen's side whereas Ro, Arthur, Ton'yell, Jasper, Alex and his personalities sided with the Workmen.
Shortly after, a fight broke out between the two parties and Henry tricked and then knocked out Ro before attacking Arthur while the Workmen engaged the MADmen. Dawn led the Guests siding with the Workmen back to the tower room and, after a brief hesitation, they all went through door number 4 and are now currently waiting in Dawn's Treehouse.
Back in the Dance Hall, Carpenter engaged Munkwon, Martin engaged Mason, and Maria and Shepard had at it. Mason took the fight outside and Maria was quick to follow with Shepard in tale. Martin, having previously opened his pocket watch, was exchanging blows with Mason as he awaited the MADHATTER's appearance while also trying to impress his sister, Maria who was toying with Shepard. Munkwon was quick to break up the fight between Henry and Arthur before being punched through the wall by Carpenter and landing in some tall grass outside just as the MADHATTER arrived.
Carpenter lost most of his right arm in the process, but didn't seem phased by the ordeal as he and the other Workmen retreated, leaving the exhausted Arthur to take care of Ro while Shepard and Carpenter made their way to the Forest Green Forest behind Door 4 and Mason made his way to the Wasteland behind door 2.
Back in the Wasteland, just after the last soldier was taken care of, the Wreck was destroyed, and the Medic died after injecting himself with some sort of substance, Smith, his men, Alastair, and Juliet had infiltrated the factory from the front entrance, meeting heavy resistance while Gwen and the sniper team supported them from the rear of the factory. After a few casualties, the factory was killed and the enemy officer was executed by Smith.
After setting up a rudimentary defense system of barriers within the factory and shortly after Mick Anick, another Workmen, showed up and began working on an inert Wreck inside the garage, a Duke, Max, appeared in an attempt to convert the Guests present over to the MADmen's side. Meeting little success, he accepted this gracefully and humbly and took his leave, letting the offer stay open as Smith glared on. Just before he left, he warned them about a "mid-level Infected" that would attack soon.
After the Duke's leave, Mick went on to install the doorway leading back to the Manor.
Without much time to think on this, everyone inside encountered an intimidated group of cloaked, mysterious strangers that called themselves The Unseen. After bringing their ominous message, they vanished without a trace. Immediately after their disappearance, a large, hideous mid-level Infect, the one Max had warned about, broke in through the garage and began attacking. The creature, its torn attire vaguely resembling that of the Medic's who had injected himself with some sort of substance just previous to dying.
Orion, just outside of the factory has just awoken from almost being crushed by a large boulder and has met with Max and agreed to side with the MADmen. As a sign of good will Max began to assist Orion with a new, strange program on his laptop that allows him to tap into the mentalities of those around him. Max suggested that Orion use this new program to overtake the monster and assist those inside the factory before they head on. The fighting inside continues as Orion attempts to learn the new program, having mild, though erratic success with controlling the creature. Partially due to his interference, those within successfully defeated the creature.
Finally, the group siding with the MADmen began their long walk to Martin's glorious castle, where they were introduced to their "perfect" rooms and got more acquainted with the MADHATTER and the Dukes. There they learn that a sample from Santa is needed by the MAD scientist brother of the Dukes, Matthias and that the entire body is preferred. Doing their best to not be put off by the quirky scientist and his... thing, the March Hare, they set off to fulfill their assignment by traveling to the Snow Realm.
Meanwhile, the remaining Guests are taken to the Forest Green Forest behind door #4 and introduced to the
Majesty of Colours, the mysterious rulers of the Workmen. During their encounter, they learn more of what happened to
Empyrea as well as some history. After the history lesson, the group is tasked with thwarting the attempts of the MADmen to go after Santa. They hastily leave for the Snow Realm to fulfill their task. While everyone was occupied by the Majesty of Colours, Maria and Max attempted attempted to kidnap Dawn, Max through diplomacy and Maria through less... subtle means. However, they were stopped by Hunter, another Workman.
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