MCerberus
As you all fall asleep on the train, the voices you thought you heard, along with the rest of the the world. The steady thumping of rail wheels on metal remains constant for a few moments before the tone changes to something akin to an electric circuit shorting and coming back on again. Your body feels something wrong before your eyes can open again. Something is unnatural about your orientation. The simple instinct of 'down' seems to be replaced with an unease like you're moving but can't see. Your lungs protest as the natural air sun-baked by the rays of a setting sun through a window becomes cold and, again, wrong.

When you wake up your eyes don't see the cloth and plastic in the train car but an environment of dull metal painted in grey illuminated in flickering fluorescent light. You, at least, still appear to be you. Your hands and clothing are the same and seem to be responding as expected. A small amount of fumbling would bring your hands into contact with cold clear plastic that seems to suck the warmth from your being.

Nick -
 
 Spoiler 

You're in a cell of some kind. Quick cursory glance shows that not only are you in one but there are rows of these tubes on either wall of the chamber you're in. And hey, there's a lever placed at your side, where it is connected painted in red and yellow stripes.

In your grouping of these pods you can make out a pair of figures moving from pod to pod. The pods that they have visited seem to be... powered down. The other ones still on, with light, you can see humans inside. They get to a pod where there seems to be some sort of electrical problem. Though muffled by the barrier in place you can make out,  "[something] marked. Eliminate [something] make it quick" 
 


Alex
 
 Spoiler 

You wake up to a screaming world. You're stuck in some sort of cell that there's something wrong with. There's a klaxon and red blinking light. From your right... is that a kid screaming?

It appears someone has found you though, two figures appear before your cell, appearing in shadow and difficult to make out details due to the red blinking light reflecting on some kind of plastic. They make a short effort at your door but nothing happens.
 
"Troublemaker... not worth it. Look he's marked. Eliminate the container and get back to the harvest. Make it quick." 
 


Ethan -
 
 Spoiler 

You're in a cell of some kind. Quick cursory glance shows that not only are you in one but there are rows of these tubes on either wall of the chamber you're in. And hey, there's a lever placed at your side, where it is connected painted in red and yellow stripes. A moment of discomfort brings your attention to a wrist band with your name on it. There's no other markings.

In your grouping of these pods you can make out a pair of figures moving from pod to pod. The pods that they have visited seem to be... powered down. The other ones still on, with light, you can see humans inside.

Suddenly you see the words "Emergency release" flash before your eyes before you are dumped to the ground in front of your pod. One of the figures rushes over to you. If you presumed they were there to help, a hard plastic and metal backhand from the figure dismisses this.  "Back in the pod"  The figure is tall, covered in what appears to be composite plating all over, with no skin showing, instead being covered by clothing with a plastic sheen. They are wearing a fully-masked helmet, and is all shades of black except for red trim and some tubes with red liquid being pumped through. The dimensions are human, but you can't tell if it has any humanity.
 


Mark -
 
 Spoiler 

You are in a cell of some kind. Your eyes are having a hard time adjusting to your new environment, and eventually you detect the presence of two figures just outside of the transparent barrier keeping you in. One of the figures runs off, and for a second you can see them approaching a kid. You don't recognize the kid but they are vaguely familiar.

The second figure notices you stirring. "Just go back to sleep. Easier that way".
You hear a humming sound and the light around you starts to take on a yellow tint
 
Ninja Dragon
 
 Spoiler: I think I have to spoiler this? Not sure 
Nick has no idea what is happening. He tries to recollect his memories of how he got there but none of them make sense, and he suspects some of those may have been dreams. Then he sees the tubes being shut down and starts being being afraid of what will happen when his turn comes.

He examines the lever with his eyes, trying to figure out what it does. No clue. The obvious use would be to open the tube, but why would someone place the key to a cell inside it? That thing could save him, or kill him, or do nothing. Then he hears the voices talking about eliminating something, and that kicks his survival instinct into high gear. He thinks "screw it", and pulls the lever.
 
Shiro_Nogard
 
 Spoiler: Mark Forest 


Holding my head I get up. The place looking eerily like some kind of Inquisition prison crossed with a futuristic force field. Taking a moment to check my body for any injury I get up slowly as I try to remember what happened. This almost felt like one drunk dream or a drug induced hallucination. Somebody must have released a odorless gas on the train. The hole on my mind made a good proof of that.

Finally focusing enough to look thru the barrier the other persons looked like...

 "Just go back to sleep. Easier that way" 

That made me narrow my eyes. "Easier?" Almost spat the word as the world started to turn yellow. So much venom seemed to fill my core at those words.
With resolute steps get close to the 'barrier' lift a hand and hit it with my hand like a mace to test its. Like hell was going to let this drugged state stop me.

"Who are you? And get that other guy away from that kid. Don't know what that this is a crime? Where is this place?"

Investigation Try to pierce what this barrier/room is.
 (1d20+3)[ 9 ] 

Insight. Try to get all the info I can get.
 (1d20+3)[ 18 ] 
 
Obscurejones
 
 Spoiler 
"Whoah! Not worth the effort? You've got me all wrong. Worth all the effort."

Troublemaker... Not a lot to go off. Keep them here and talking.

 (1d20)[ 11 ]  Deception or Persuasion, not rightly sure which.
 
Detective
 
 Spoiler: Secret secrets 

Nausea, anxiety, fear. Those were the emotions afflicting Ethan. Did he wake up into a horror show, or slumber into a nightmare?
Be it dream or reality, there is one conclusion he can be certain of: He should not be in a cell - And neither are the humans he spots in the other pods he suspects, though the sheer shock of the whole situation makes it difficult to read any of them. And what is it with the lever in his cell, anyway?
If he assumes that other pods have such levers too, then the odds of it opening or closing the door are slim to none as otherwise every prisoner could've used that lever to break out.

Besides, not like Ethan had a chance to test out the lever given the trouble coming his way already. A figure in the shape of a human, yet not human? If there was one clear detail that tipped him off, it'll be those odd tubes that keep pumping some sort of red liquid.

Having been called to go back into the pod, Ethan looks down at the wrist band with his own name on it. Was he here as some kind of prisoner?
As much as he would like to try and start asking questions to figure out what is going on, the way the ominious figure rushes towards him sends goosebumps to his skin, with his mind focusing on one instinct:

 Run. 

Ethan doesn't have the opportunity to scream out in horror has he attempts to bolt it without a single word. Whatever that 'emergency release' was, it gave Ethan the opportunity to try and escape for his own moment of emergency by trying to outrun the figure! Odds are he might not succeed, but it'll at least give him a momentary opportunity to pat himself down to look if he has anything else on him. He surely did not have that wristband before coming here, so maybe there is something else, anything else on him that he might be able to use!
 
MCerberus
 
 Originally Posted by Ninja Dragon 
  
 Spoiler: I think I have to spoiler this? Not sure 
Nick has no idea what is happening. He tries to recollect his memories of how he got there but none of them make sense, and he suspects some of those may have been dreams. Then he sees the tubes being shut down and starts being being afraid of what will happen when his turn comes.

He examines the lever with his eyes, trying to figure out what it does. No clue. The obvious use would be to open the tube, but why would someone place the key to a cell inside it? That thing could save him, or kill him, or do nothing. Then he hears the voices talking about eliminating something, and that kicks his survival instinct into high gear. He thinks "screw it", and pulls the lever.
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler 

Pneumatics hiss as the bottom of the pod starts lifting. There's very quickly enough space to crawl out of, and after a second or two you can comfortably step out. The figures that you have heard you can almost get a solid look at. There's something... off about them. They look like large soldiers at a glance but you can detect nothing of their humanity. Their face is covered, no flesh shown. They are dressed all in dark with moving parts seemingly to assist their joints.

At least they don't seem to notice you yet. They're very much giving all of their attention towards another pod. One breaks a nearby control panel causing an emergency opening.
 "You hear it, he's worth the time,"  one says with a malicious darkness to its voice. The other one grabs at the person in the pod.

The pod lights, the behavior, everything is coming together in your mind.
 "They are goink to kill him, you know."  There is a voice coming from a figure that appeared in your periphery. American english, but with a small hint of a slavic accent.  "you will do nothing, wait for the injustice to come for you?" 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Shiro_Nogard 
  
 Spoiler: Mark Forest 


Holding my head I get up. The place looking eerily like some kind of Inquisition prison crossed with a futuristic force field. Taking a moment to check my body for any injury I get up slowly as I try to remember what happened. This almost felt like one drunk dream or a drug induced hallucination. Somebody must have released a odorless gas on the train. The hole on my mind made a good proof of that.

Finally focusing enough to look thru the barrier the other persons looked like...

 "Just go back to sleep. Easier that way" 

That made me narrow my eyes. "Easier?" Almost spat the word as the world started to turn yellow. So much venom seemed to fill my core at those words.
With resolute steps get close to the 'barrier' lift a hand and hit it with my hand like a mace to test its. Like hell was going to let this drugged state stop me.

"Who are you? And get that other guy away from that kid. Don't know what that this is a crime? Where is this place?"

Investigation Try to pierce what this barrier/room is.
[roll0]

Insight. Try to get all the info I can get.
[roll1]
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler 

You don't get much information out of it, or much time to consider your surroundings. What does dawn on you is that no one is SUPPOSED to be awake. And the voices you heard going to sleep... someone set you on this path. The humming grows louder and with it the pain starts. At first it's just numbing, but before long it feels as if all of your muscles are asleep and you're attempting to put weight on them.

Suddenly another... kid appears and distracts the guard, giving you enough time to claw, punch and attempt to escape. You can feel that you are starting to make progress, that your cage is starting to bend but your body is slowly giving it.

That's when you hear a guffaw and the whole world seems to melt away. The lights, pain gone for just a second, revealing a pale man in fancy crimson dress.  "I can't stand when they never give them a chance. You, you did not give into your base fear. It's charming, but we don't have much time to negotiate your contract. Repeat after me, and, of course, from the heart." 
  

I am thou,
Thou art I,
You must reveal the false realities made to bring you to ruin
  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Obscurejones 
  
 Spoiler 
"Whoah! Not worth the effort? You've got me all wrong. Worth all the effort."

Troublemaker... Not a lot to go off. Keep them here and talking.

[roll0] Deception or Persuasion, not rightly sure which.
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler 

Check Result - success, but you chose your words... poorly.

For a second the figures back off, letting your eyes adjust to give them a good look. They're covered head-to-toe in black armor and clothing. Totally covered including the face and head. On one you can see vents emitting a sickly-colored gas. This one slams his fist into something outside of your field of view and you cell opens to the outside world. There's not a lot of time to consider your change of fate, the figure takes the opportunity to apply his hand to your throat.

Their partner mocking comments  "You hear it, he's worth the time,"  the threat becoming explicit.
Time seems to slow and behind your tormentors... a man... in a toga? He's looking at you, judging.

 "Not enough time. You will learn. A man does not accept a brutes fate. We've waited far too long. If you don't want to die like a pig, we make a contract. Repeat after me:"
   

I am thou,
Thou art I,
We will bring the light to the world that wants you for slaughter
  
 


 
 Originally Posted by Detective 
  
 Spoiler: Secret secrets 

Nausea, anxiety, fear. Those were the emotions afflicting Ethan. Did he wake up into a horror show, or slumber into a nightmare?
Be it dream or reality, there is one conclusion he can be certain of: He should not be in a cell - And neither are the humans he spots in the other pods he suspects, though the sheer shock of the whole situation makes it difficult to read any of them. And what is it with the lever in his cell, anyway?
If he assumes that other pods have such levers too, then the odds of it opening or closing the door are slim to none as otherwise every prisoner could've used that lever to break out.

Besides, not like Ethan had a chance to test out the lever given the trouble coming his way already. A figure in the shape of a human, yet not human? If there was one clear detail that tipped him off, it'll be those odd tubes that keep pumping some sort of red liquid.

Having been called to go back into the pod, Ethan looks down at the wrist band with his own name on it. Was he here as some kind of prisoner?
As much as he would like to try and start asking questions to figure out what is going on, the way the ominious figure rushes towards him sends goosebumps to his skin, with his mind focusing on one instinct:

 Run. 

Ethan doesn't have the opportunity to scream out in horror has he attempts to bolt it without a single word. Whatever that 'emergency release' was, it gave Ethan the opportunity to try and escape for his own moment of emergency by trying to outrun the figure! Odds are he might not succeed, but it'll at least give him a momentary opportunity to pat himself down to look if he has anything else on him. He surely did not have that wristband before coming here, so maybe there is something else, anything else on him that he might be able to use!
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler 
The wristband reminds you of a hospital wrist band. You can vaguely remember them scanning it to get your information before...
And running while distracted and afraid brings you over to another pod, where you bump into another figure, looking in to the pod. This one seems to be... activating something. There's another kid in this pod, scared and if the quick glance at his face is anything to go by in pain.

Your tormentor doesn't take long to catch up to you, trapping you between the two. Then things to your perception just seem to stop. You hear the rattle of fine metal chains as a third figure approaches. This one is not like the others, a long cloak and coat covering glints of shining mail that gleams too brightly to just be dull steel. His face is in shadow and covered by a hood.

 "Would you be surprised if I tell you instincts are developed and not born with? Child, you need to work on yours."  His voice is more calm and refined that his figure implies.  "They want something from you, all monsters do. I can share with you some power, enough to stop running, but this will lead us into a contract. Repeat."
 
  

I am thou,
Thou art I,
Be what the shadows fear or be consumed by them
  
 


Mark and Ethan are now in the same location as well as Alex and Nick
Obscurejones
 
 Spoiler 
He shouldn't.  He really shouldn't.  There's no time, a hand on his throat, and those little dots at the edges of his vision are probably not a good sign.

But...

I mean you have to hit the easy balls out of the park, right?

 "... Klatu... Barada.... NECKTIE!" 

... What?  It's a classic!

Stupid to waste the breath, but he tries to force out the mumbled refrain from the be-toga-d figure with the last of himself.

 "I am thou,
Thou art I,
We will bring the light to the world that wants you for slaughter." 
 
Shiro_Nogard
[QUOTE=MCerberus;25705932]


 
 Spoiler 

You don't get much information out of it, or much time to consider your surroundings. What does dawn on you is that no one is SUPPOSED to be awake. And the voices you heard going to sleep... someone set you on this path. The humming grows louder and with it the pain starts. At first it's just numbing, but before long it feels as if all of your muscles are asleep and you're attempting to put weight on them.

Suddenly another... kid appears and distracts the guard, giving you enough time to claw, punch and attempt to escape. You can feel that you are starting to make progress, that your cage is starting to bend but your body is slowly giving it.

That's when you hear a guffaw and the whole world seems to melt away. The lights, pain gone for just a second, revealing a pale man in fancy crimson dress.  "I can't stand when they never give them a chance. You, you did not give into your base fear. It's charming, but we don't have much time to negotiate your contract. Repeat after me, and, of course, from the heart." 
  

I am thou,
Thou art I,
You must reveal the false realities made to bring you to ruin
  
 

 
 Spoiler 

Insight
 (1d20+3)[ 9 ] 


Just when the situation was getting more complicated and he didn't know what to do 'the voice' appeared for the first time.  And he had something disturbing, but at the same time comforting.

 "I'm getting weird."  Muttering under my breath to myself as she lowered her head.  But a second look made me pick it up again.  The other guy's attitude and voice made his hair stand on end.

 Now she was at a crossroads.  On the one hand, the boy looked like they wanted to kill him.  On the other he had a weird guy who wanted a contract.  'I don't swing that way.'  That hallucination was being highly creative and congruent.  'or have I always been like this?'

 Shaking his head, he turned to see the guy in red who seemed to be entertained while looking rushed.
 "So I'm right. Damn of killers."  If I didn't hurry she wouldn't be able to do anything.  Taking a continuous breath.  "It attacks me how you say things. But, a contract? I hope you know that a forced contract has no legal validity. But I'll give you your side as long as we finish with this, I hope you're ready to talk to my lawyer."  Talking to a person who thinks they are special was too exhausting for me.  And after all, for all that kind of stuff you get paid to a lawyer.

 I was about to recite his words when I began to feel that I had to square myself and looking ahead with a conviction that I don't know where it came from I recited the words. Felt world was starting to shake.

[B] 

I am thou,
Thou art I,
You must reveal the false realities made to bring you to ruin
 
 
Ninja Dragon
 
 Originally Posted by MCerberus 
  
 Spoiler 

Pneumatics hiss as the bottom of the pod starts lifting. There's very quickly enough space to crawl out of, and after a second or two you can comfortably step out. The figures that you have heard you can almost get a solid look at. There's something... off about them. They look like large soldiers at a glance but you can detect nothing of their humanity. Their face is covered, no flesh shown. They are dressed all in dark with moving parts seemingly to assist their joints.

At least they don't seem to notice you yet. They're very much giving all of their attention towards another pod. One breaks a nearby control panel causing an emergency opening.
 "You hear it, he's worth the time,"  one says with a malicious darkness to its voice. The other one grabs at the person in the pod.

The pod lights, the behavior, everything is coming together in your mind.
 "They are goink to kill him, you know."  There is a voice coming from a figure that appeared in your periphery. American english, but with a small hint of a slavic accent.  "you will do nothing, wait for the injustice to come for you?" 
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler 

"... who?", Nick thinks. Then he looks at the soldiers. And then he looks around. There is nothing he could use to attack them. He doesn't have his things either, only a phone and some cash in his pockets. And those men in front of him look dangerous, and could be armed.

"Look, I want to help, but there is nothing I can do!" - he whispers - "I need to get away and find help or... you! Who are you anyway? Can you help?" - he asks to the man, and looks at his direction.
 
Detective
 
 Spoiler 
Ethan should've realized attempting to run away would've led to a dead end. He was no great runner, he doesn't know the way out, and they outnumber him.

His instincts telling him to run were wrong, counterintuitive... In running, he just got himself trapped between the two daunting figures, with no possible exit route in sight.
Until the arrival of a third figure, and everything else around Ethean's peripheral appear to have stopped.

 "What..."  The first word spoken since waking up, the brief moment of halt gives Ethan to chance to look around him and reflect upon his situation for the situation.

A kid scared and in pain, tormented by whatever trigger the figure Ethan just bumped into has pulled. Ethan then looks down, over the wristband containing his name. The one he remembers they scanned.

Taking it all into account? He finds himself agreeing with the third figure with face-covered hood.

 "... I refuse to be treated like a sheep to the slaughter."  Muffled, yet adamant. If his instinct to run away was erronous, then the only option left.

To fight back. He reaches a hand to the wrist band to try tearing it off him, reciting the words that'll lead him into the contract:

 "I am thou,
Thou are I,
Be what the shadows fear or be consumed by them."
 
 
MCerberus
 
 Originally Posted by Ninja Dragon 
  
 Spoiler 

"... who?", Nick thinks. Then he looks at the soldiers. And then he looks around. There is nothing he could use to attack them. He doesn't have his things either, only a phone and some cash in his pockets. And those men in front of him look dangerous, and could be armed.

"Look, I want to help, but there is nothing I can do!" - he whispers - "I need to get away and find help or... you! Who are you anyway? Can you help?" - he asks to the man, and looks at his direction.
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler 

 "Does it matter? If you want to stop being used. If you want the world to stop consuming humans, you like firewood." 
There is something akin to an explosion over by the other pod. You can see someone, or something on the ground but can't make out much due to dust being kicked up.
 "If you want to be a human worthy of the title, repeat" 
 I am thou,
thou art I,
The potential of all things must be defended 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Obscurejones 
  
 Spoiler 
He shouldn't.  He really shouldn't.  There's no time, a hand on his throat, and those little dots at the edges of his vision are probably not a good sign.

But...

I mean you have to hit the easy balls out of the park, right?

 "... Klatu... Barada.... NECKTIE!" 

... What?  It's a classic!

Stupid to waste the breath, but he tries to force out the mumbled refrain from the be-toga-d figure with the last of himself.

 "I am thou,
Thou art I,
We will bring the light to the world that wants you for slaughter." 
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler 

Two things immediately happen. First thing, good for you, is some sort of concussive feedback centered on yourself. While not shattering any pods near you or shattering any glass, your assailants are knocked away from you. The second, you start feeling... right. Your perspective is different, higher it seems. A look at your hands shows... fur? something?

You can see your assailants more clearly now. They're not exactly the same, and in fact you can smell that they are different. One has machines attached to the joints of their armor, the other vents foulness. They're taken aback but even on the ground reach for some clubs that they have dropped.

OOC - Initiative with your next actions. You have a surprise round and are fully armed in the form of your other self.
 


 
 Originally Posted by Detective 
  
 Spoiler 
Ethan should've realized attempting to run away would've led to a dead end. He was no great runner, he doesn't know the way out, and they outnumber him.

His instincts telling him to run were wrong, counterintuitive... In running, he just got himself trapped between the two daunting figures, with no possible exit route in sight.
Until the arrival of a third figure, and everything else around Ethean's peripheral appear to have stopped.

 "What..."  The first word spoken since waking up, the brief moment of halt gives Ethan to chance to look around him and reflect upon his situation for the situation.

A kid scared and in pain, tormented by whatever trigger the figure Ethan just bumped into has pulled. Ethan then looks down, over the wristband containing his name. The one he remembers they scanned.

Taking it all into account? He finds himself agreeing with the third figure with face-covered hood.

 "... I refuse to be treated like a sheep to the slaughter."  Muffled, yet adamant. If his instinct to run away was erronous, then the only option left.

To fight back. He reaches a hand to the wrist band to try tearing it off him, reciting the words that'll lead him into the contract:

 "I am thou,
Thou are I,
Be what the shadows fear or be consumed by them."
 
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler 

You hear in a fading voice, but one that is close, almost in your own head,  "God or no, you will be wrath". 
The tormentors before you have been knocked to the ground, and you can feel a small wave of force pass over you. You can feel a weight in your hand, like a long-lost piece of your soul a weapon! to fight back. You feel a weight on your shoulder, the comforting embrace of clothes you don't recognize but feel as they are yours. You are you, as you should be.

Your tormentors are on the ground, stunned momentarily. You can see that they both have liquids pumping through their suits, but one has blue tubing, with mist coming forth where the system is exposed. The other has dull red liquid. They both reach for weapons at their side.

But there is a third figure, the one that was moments ago in the activated pod stepping out.

OOC - Initiative with your next action. You have a surprise round and are in the same combat as Mark, spoilers not needed
 


 
 Originally Posted by Shiro_Nogard 
  
 Spoiler 

You don't get much information out of it, or much time to consider your surroundings. What does dawn on you is that no one is SUPPOSED to be awake. And the voices you heard going to sleep... someone set you on this path. The humming grows louder and with it the pain starts. At first it's just numbing, but before long it feels as if all of your muscles are asleep and you're attempting to put weight on them.

Suddenly another... kid appears and distracts the guard, giving you enough time to claw, punch and attempt to escape. You can feel that you are starting to make progress, that your cage is starting to bend but your body is slowly giving it.

That's when you hear a guffaw and the whole world seems to melt away. The lights, pain gone for just a second, revealing a pale man in fancy crimson dress.  "I can't stand when they never give them a chance. You, you did not give into your base fear. It's charming, but we don't have much time to negotiate your contract. Repeat after me, and, of course, from the heart." 
  

I am thou,
Thou art I,
You must reveal the false realities made to bring you to ruin
  
 

 
 Spoiler 

Insight
[roll0]


Just when the situation was getting more complicated and he didn't know what to do 'the voice' appeared for the first time.  And he had something disturbing, but at the same time comforting.

 "I'm getting weird."  Muttering under my breath to myself as she lowered her head.  But a second look made me pick it up again.  The other guy's attitude and voice made his hair stand on end.

 Now she was at a crossroads.  On the one hand, the boy looked like they wanted to kill him.  On the other he had a weird guy who wanted a contract.  'I don't swing that way.'  That hallucination was being highly creative and congruent.  'or have I always been like this?'

 Shaking his head, he turned to see the guy in red who seemed to be entertained while looking rushed.
 "So I'm right. Damn of killers."  If I didn't hurry she wouldn't be able to do anything.  Taking a continuous breath.  "It attacks me how you say things. But, a contract? I hope you know that a forced contract has no legal validity. But I'll give you your side as long as we finish with this, I hope you're ready to talk to my lawyer."  Talking to a person who thinks they are special was too exhausting for me.  And after all, for all that kind of stuff you get paid to a lawyer.

 I was about to recite his words when I began to feel that I had to square myself and looking ahead with a conviction that I don't know where it came from I recited the words. Felt world was starting to shake.

[B] 

I am thou,
Thou art I,
You must reveal the false realities made to bring you to ruin
 
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler 

Just as you think you can take any more, a shockwave pulses out centered on yourself. The pod's internals are completely destroyed, and the door is currently a good 10 feet away. You are free. Better than free. You have full feel of your senses, finally able to smell, move, think like you know you should be able to.

Your tormentors are on the ground before you, the armored figures with tubes pumping liquid keeping them moving. One of them you can feel the cold even feet away from them. The other... the liquid is sweet and aromatic. Though stunned for now, they are reaching for their weapons beside them.

On the other side of these creatures is another, dressed like a gentlemen and armed to the teeth.

OOC - Initiative with your next action. You have a surprise round and are in the same combat as Ethan and no longer need spoilers
 
Ninja Dragon
 
 Spoiler 

Nick is definitely not satisfied with the answer.

But he is out of options. And the being is right. He doesn't want to run.

"I am thou,
thou art I,
The potential of all things must be defended"
 
Detective
 
 Originally Posted by MCerberus 
  
 Spoiler 
 You hear in a fading voice, but one that is close, almost in your own head, "God or no, you will be wrath".
The tormentors before you have been knocked to the ground, and you can feel a small wave of force pass over you. You can feel a weight in your hand, like a long-lost piece of your soul a weapon! to fight back. You feel a weight on your shoulder, the comforting embrace of clothes you don't recognize but feel as they are yours. You are you, as you should be.

Your tormentors are on the ground, stunned momentarily. You can see that they both have liquids pumping through their suits, but one has blue tubing, with mist coming forth where the system is exposed. The other has dull red liquid. They both reach for weapons at their side.

But there is a third figure, the one that was moments ago in the activated pod stepping out.

OOC - Initiative with your next action. You have a surprise round and are in the same combat as Mark, spoilers not needed
 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: For Ethan and Mark 
There was only the briefest of moments for Ethan to look down at himself to glimpse at his new attire. Clothes he never wore before, and yet a perfect fit. In his hand, is a weapon of unusual design: The hilt and guard of sword, but the blade itself is blunt and thick at the edges with a sharp point only at the tip.

Knowing he has only one chance to strike before the tormentors rise up and have their chance, his hand moves forward, trying to drive his weapon through the body of the one with the red liquid pumping through their suits - The same figure he first saw rushing towards him earlier!

"Stay down!"

Ethan shouts out, focused now on survival and fighting his way out.

Speaking of survival, Ethan takes a momentary glance at the one who just stepped out the pod. Unsure how he managed to break out in the first place, Ethan calls out:

"I don't know what's going on, but we are on the same side here!"

At least, he guesses they are. It'll now depend on the one who got out of their pod to prove his assumption correct.
 

 
 Spoiler: Actions 

Bonus Action: Using the feature Slayer's Prey on the Tormentor with Red Liquid
Action: Attack with a shortsword on Tormentor with Red Liquid.
Hit roll: (1d20+5)[ 17 ] 
If the figure is considered prone because they are done on the ground, then I roll to hit with advantage:
2nd roll:  (1d20+5)[ 11 ] 
(if I am misunderstanding the situation, just ignore this roll 😳 )
If the attack lands:
Damage roll, Shortsword:  (1d6+3)[ 9 ]  , piercing
Damage roll, Slayer's Foe:  (1d6)[ 2 ]  , piercing.
 
Shiro_Nogard
 
 Spoiler 

Just as you think you can take any more, a shockwave pulses out centered on yourself. The pod's internals are completely destroyed, and the door is currently a good 10 feet away. You are free. Better than free. You have full feel of your senses, finally able to smell, move, think like you know you should be able to.

Your tormentors are on the ground before you, the armored figures with tubes pumping liquid keeping them moving. One of them you can feel the cold even feet away from them. The other... the liquid is sweet and aromatic. Though stunned for now, they are reaching for their weapons beside them.

On the other side of these creatures is another, dressed like a gentlemen and armed to the teeth.

OOC - Initiative with your next action. You have a surprise round and are in the same combat as Ethan and no longer need spoilers
 

 
 Spoiler 

 (1d20+5)[ 18 ] 

Thum thum!
The sound of the heart in the ears was beginning to be too much. She felt like he was about to explode when he suddenly gave up. He could already see and feel. The fog in my mind lifted. I could already think. Just when I realized it, I opened my eyes that I didn't remember closing. I find myself contemplating a change of scene and at the same time familiar.
"But what?"
It looked like the scene of an accident. "Or a bomb went off."
Whatever, there was prey and the sweet smell was calling to me. The armed subject looked the most dangerous.

"I don't know what's going on, but we are on the same side here!" The subject's scream called his attention.
"Same side?" What was this, a gang fight? Then she saw him move. Not letting him out of sight, he saw him approach the subjects who were getting up.

Not wanting to stay behind, he shot toward the subject trio. "Stop acting like a kid. They have to be stopped alive." I can't do anything for the other anymore, but if I can leave him unconscious, he could be bitten... stop.
Somehow it seems that the explosion gave me a concussion. that's bad. We have to end this quickly, call the police so they can arrest them and see what they injected us with.
"Don't you dare take the gun!" With a quick step and with instincts out of my mind I unleashed a blow to the guy's jaw.

Attack
 (1d20+5)[ 8 ] 
Damage
 (1d4+5)[ 9 ] 
 
Obscurejones
 
 Spoiler 
Fantastic.  Alright, what do we have on the hip.  He turns to grab his... Whip?  Alright, that's fine that just means we're going with Dr. Jones.  Other hip should be his revolv- Nope.  Shield.

We'll make it work.  Snatching up both he flicks the whip out towards the one with the foul vents, cracking it twice in quick succession.
 
 Spoiler: A Doozy of a Surprise Round 


Attack
 (1d20+5)[ 11 ] 
Damage if we hit
 (1d4+5)[ 8 ] 
Bonus Damage from Surprise attack
 (2d6)[ 9 ] 
Action Surging, to do that all again.  If the first attack seemingly dropped the venting enemy moving the second attack to the one with machine joints.
Attack
 (1d20+5)[ 15 ] 
Damage if we hit
 (1d4+5)[ 7 ] 
Bonus Damage from Surprise attack
 (2d6)[ 9 ] 
 

 
MCerberus
 Ethan and Mark 

OOC - We'll go ahead and for simplicity sake, the blue liquid is Guard(Fr) and the plasma one Guard(Ra)

The shortsword attack goes through and Guard(Ra) jerks in a clear response to pain. Then it... flickers? morphs. For a second it appears that portions of the guard are just intangible shadow, jerking wildly before reforming.

In Marks haste, or perhaps due to the awkward footing of coming out of the pod can only make contact with the guard's armor. At first it's hard enough to block your blow, but then feels soft and intangible, like fog.

The guards, both seemingly unable to comprehend someone fighting back are slow on their feet, still vulnerable to another attack. However two familiar characters seem to be observing the fight. They fade to the shadows when your eyes try and focus on them.
 "It takes more than steel to take down what's more than mortal. Put your heart into it."  the voice both comes from nowhere and is clear as if the speakers is close to both Ethan and Mark.
 "The brute is right, ineligence not withstanding. Remember that your new gifts are  Part of Yourself now. " 

You can both hear an echoing scream coming from elsewhere.

OOC - Combat order: Mark, Ethan, Guard(Fr), Guard(Ra)
Missed this early, but monk does count as a martial class for this feature

 Nick and Alex 
For simplicity we'll call the enemies Guard(Fo) and Guard(Ne)

 
 Spoiler: Nick 

Another shockwave clears the view between Nick and the combat going on. You feel right more than right. Your body is as it should be, a feeling you may not have felt in a very very long time. In front of you the melee continues. Two of the shadowy figures fighting... a wolf?
 


Alex's first attack glances off of Guard(Ne). It hit something hard but the sword failed to dig into anything, merely slicing off a whisp of shadow that rejoins the main host. The second attack hits home severing something in the armpit area. The guard screams, but it's not quite human. It's an unpleasant yell as if a human scream were warped through too many filters. You get the feeling that would have been a terrible blow if you put more into it, a  Part of Yourself. 

Unable to get their heads together, the guards have not moved save to look around to try and figure out how they got into this position.

ooc - combat order: Nick, Alex, Guard(ne), Guard(fo)
Shiro_Nogard
"Now double voices. What am I going to do?" Either way he would have to regret that after the morning. It seems that her psyche was interpreting her intoxication in a very peculiar way.

"We have to take them alive. Otherwise they won't answer our questions." She seriously hoped that that 'sword' was just a broomstick that some granny left out.

In fact, she was able to feel me in 'my zone'. He had never felt such confidence when attacking hand to hand. We'll have to internalize that later. He had a group to deal with at the moment.

 (1d20+5)[ 22 ]  Att
 (1d4+5)[ 8 ]  damage
Ninja Dragon
Nick assesses the situation. He doesn't get what is happening, but many thoughts are coming to his mind, thoughts that he would normally have, but not as quickly or in so much detail. Things he only dreamed of making before are now clear in his mind.

He doesn't know who the wolf is, but it is fighting the bad guys so Nick decides to help it for now.

He pulls some tools and parts from the backpack that just appeared on his back, and starts to work. He presses some buttons on a device strapped to his hand, which seems already programmed to assemble the parts he was carrying. In just seconds, a tiny weapon appears in his hand. It looks loosely built, but Nick just knows it works. And thus, he goes to test it.

Action: build tiny force cannon
BA: fire force cannon at guard (ne)

Hit:  (1d20+7)[ 22 ] 
Damage:  (2d8)[ 5 ]  and push enemy back 5 ft

Also I'm doing a last minute retcon on one of my tools to smith's tools because I didn't notice it was a requirement to build the cannon.
Detective
"Take them alive?" Ethan blurts out, having just seen part of the guard's body morphing into what he could only assume to be some sort of intangible shadow and remateralize right after.

"I don't even know if they're human to begin with." He exclaims back. How are they supposed to capture them alive if they don't know what it'll take to pin them down?

His free hand pats himself down looking for something that might help with keeping the guards detained - Only to find a second shortsword by his side.

"Huh. Might as well." Not seeing any other option right now, Ethan draws the shortsword in preperation for another strike.

His mind thinks over what the voices said. It may sound preposterous in trusting voices coming from nowhere to guide them, but given how his chance to fight back was given to him by one of the voices?
Their intentions appear to be more in their favor than whatever plot the guards had for them!

So before he strikes? Ethan takes a deep breath to focus himself, tightens the grip on his shortswords until it starts to ache in his palm... And thrusts the pike forward to try and pierce guard(Ra)'s shoulders - putting his heart into it like the voices said!

Ideally, the strike will neutralize the target without killing it by not aiming anywhere vital. Not that Ethan is confident enough the guards are human enough for him to properly guess their vital spots.

 OOC: 
 Actions: 
Drawing the second shortsword to dual wield.
Part of Yourself: sacrificing  (1d4+2)[ 5 ]  HP to turn all weapon damage into necrotic.

Action: Attacking guard[Ra] with the shortsword.
Hit roll:  (1d20+5)[ 21 ] 
If hit:
Damage roll, attack:  (1d6+3)[ 9 ]  necrotic
Damage roll, Slayer's Prey:  (1d6)[ 2 ]  necrotic (The damage type is normally the same as the weapon, so I think it'll count for Part of Yourself? Up to you if not)

BA: Off hand attack with the shortsword on guard[Ra], or guard[fr] if guard[Ra] is dead/neutralized.
Hit roll:  (1d20+5)[ 19 ] 
If hit:
Damage roll, attack:  (1d6)[ 3 ]  necrotic
Obscurejones
 "You get a gun?  This seems unfair."   Taking a step back, Alex tries to put himself at maximum distance allowed by the whip in his hand.  Taking a deep breath he cracks the whip at the enemy he'd already taken a piece of.  As he swings his arm he feels a tinge of pain and the whip shines for a moment, the crack accompanied by a burst of light.

 "... Actually I retract.  This is also excellent." 

OOC:

Moving until he is ten feet from the Guard(NE), ideally also ten feet from Guard(FO) as well.

All of yourself, sacrificing  (1d4+4)[ 7 ]  HP to make damage this round Radiant.

Attack Roll for the whip  (1d20+5)[ 18 ] 

Whip Damage  (1d4+5)[ 8 ] 

Surprise Attack Damage  (2d6)[ 5 ] 
MCerberus
 Nick and Alex 

A wave of force flies past the first guard, crashing into the one Alex is engaging with. Without missing a beat, the wolf-man sends a whip headed towards the vents of the unwillingly-traveling foe. You hear a grunt of pain but for a moment it looks like it will get up and attack, that is until an arc of light coming from the striking whip starts coursing through the enemy's armor. Its figure loses its form as it drops towards the ground silent, a black mist dissipating revealing a human form.

The other guard does not seem to react to its comrade falling. Then again it would be difficult to show. Able to gather its senses it gets up and moves to strike at the nearest thread, Alex. It is between the two awoken fights, showing its back to Nick.

[roll0] against Alex's listed armor (16)
[roll1]

ooc-
 
 Spoiler 
Combat order: Nick, Alex, Guard(fo)

Perception DC15
 
 Spoiler 
The figure is wearing black slacks, white shirt, and a black jacked with a logo that matches what you've seen on documents coming from school
 

 

 Ethan and Mark 

Ethan slices at Guard(ra), a dark energy flowing from his hand and onto the sword. It directs itself at the tubes of the enemy, severing them and causing a fel light to replace what liquid remains, causing the foe to scream in pain. Its shadow flickers again, and it does not coalesce full again. It gets to its feet, the limbs twitch and recoil slightly as if they are barely holding together. At least it has its tormentor within reach as it lunges forward with what appears to be some sort of large baton

[roll2] against Alex's listed armor (14)
[roll3]

This second strike from Mark hits home, digging into a joint in the armor where there is no plate, just padded cloth. The foe does not bleed, and as it moves to get up, fog coalesces around the exposed pumps. It brings a baton down towards Mark, hoping to avoid what horror is happening to its ally.

[roll4] against Alex's listed armor (17)
[roll5]

ooc - combat order: Nick, Alex, Guard(ne), Guard(fo)
Shiro_Nogard
The hit was some how strong er than it looked. Agony coursed through my arm and shoulder. For a moment I saw red. The next moment.

 (1d20)[ 9 ] 
 (1d20)[ 20 ] Advantage
Life drain  (1d4+5)[ 9 ]  recovered HP

He could feel himself got better. 'Must be the adrenaline kicking in.' But couldn't help but feel like he blinked and missed something. The  prey  men looked worse than a moment so I decided to hit him hard. I wondered if I was always this good...

(Spending 1 ki point to gain FoB and spending bonus action to attack)

(1d20)[16] Should have been +7 for a 23
(1d4+5)[9]
(1d20)[3] Should have been +7 for a 10
(1d4+5)[6]

OOC:
Total damage 18
Ninja Dragon
"Yes! Exactly how I expected!" - Nick says, happy that his new toy worked. - "Let's see if this is replicable" - and he fires the weapon again, at the remaining enemy.

"Now for something different... what if I changed the polarity so that it matches the frequency of..." - he blabs some technical lingo that nobody in the room should be able to understand, as he pressed some buttons on the devices on his arms. Until sparks start coming out, and it seems the devices are about to explode... but they don't, and a ray comes out of them, aimed at the foe. The ray is made of...

 
 Spoiler 

BA: Fire force gun:  (1d20+7)[ 25 ] 
Damage:  (2d8)[ 11 ] 

Action: Cast Chaos Bolt:  (1d20+7)[ 9 ] 
Damage:
 (1d8)[ 1 ] 
 (1d8)[ 3 ] 
 (1d6)[ 3 ] 
 


Edit: ... lightning.
Detective
Ethan moves out of the way in time to narrowly avoid the large baton by the figure. Ethan had just struck the guard down with enough force he could have felt his hand aching, but the guard still remains up on its feet!

Still, it appears that the suggestion to 'put his heart' into the attack had paid off, not that he was sure what was going on- A dark energy came out from his hand to surround his sword and then inject itself into the guard's tubes, clearly harming it as evident by the screams of pain.
At the cost paining himself too, it seems, based on the stinging sensation on the palm of his hand. 'Best I won't overdo it, I don't know how many times I'll be able to endure it.' He thinks to himself, glancing over at his ally with a question mark to see how well he is doing.

Right on time to see him getting hit. Looks like those batons pack a punch!

"I'll come to your aid once I'm done with this one!" Ethan exclaims to mark, shifting his focus back to the guard he's fighting.

He strikes again with the swords, once more aiming to the shoulders in hopes of neutralizing the guard. Ideally, without accidently killing the guard so that they can question him later.

OOC-
Actions:
Action - Attack with shortsword on Guard[Ra]
Hit roll:  (1d20+5)[ 15 ] 
Damage roll, Shortsword:  (1d6+3)[ 7 ]  piercing.
Damage roll, Slayer's Prey  (1d6)[ 2 ]  piercing.

If the guard is not defeated, then bonus action - attack with off hand shortsword on Guard[Ra]
Hit roll:  (1d20+5)[ 17 ] 
Damage roll, Shortsword:  (1d6)[ 1 ]  piercing.

If the guard is defeated, then I'll sheath one of my swords. If I still have the bonus action, I'll use it to apply Slayer's Prey on Guard[Fr] next.
Obscurejones
Alex lets out a yelp, but it turns from fear to joy as the guard's attack skitters off his armor.
 "Honestly, for being stuck in mortal peril, this seems to be going well!" 
He flicks his wrist, snapping the whip at the remaining guard again but winces as the attack sails over the guards head.
 "Alright, that's on me.  Spoke too soon." 

OOC
Attack  (1d20+5)[ 6 ] 
Damage  (1d4+5)[ 8 ] 
MCerberus
 Nick and Alex 

A bolt of lightning flies over the shoulder of the foe just as the end of the whip sails just wide of its head, leading to an annoying super-sonic crack that probably impacts the mood of your opponents. Unfortunately neither of you hurt them phyiscally. In response, Alex can... not quite see but feel the guard open its mouth to scream in rage, both at being attacked and at what just happened to the other before swinging again at Alex.

If either were to look around they'd notice the form that remained from the first guard has disappeared.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Same attack order
  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 12 ]  vs 16
  damage  - (2d8+4)[ 13 ] 

Due to the initiative order, Alex WOULD have had advantage on his attack if the lightning bolt hit
 

 
Mark and Ethan
 

Ethan's attack makes its way straight towards a gap in the armor, only to take an unlucky glance of the enemy due to its movement. His foe isn't expecting a follow-up however. While not a mighty blow, the already weakening form collapses to the ground, forming at first a black mist before dissipating leaving... a human figure.

Mark's attacks are much more directly successful. Whatever these things are, they have life force. As he connects, Mark feels a reinvigorating cold flow through his body, feeling like a cold spring on a hot day, or, if he prefers, drinking cold water after brushing their teeth. The after 'taste' of the force feels slightly dangerous and uncomfortable. The guard itself can't express fear for what just happened but it recoils back slightly in frightened confusion before lunging back at its tormentor.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Guard(Ra) out of the order
  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 27 ]  vs 17
  damage  - (2d8+4)[ 16 ] 

Insight DC15
 
 Spoiler 
The figure is wearing black slacks, white shirt, and a black jacked with a logo that matches what you've seen on documents coming from school
 

 
Shiro_Nogard
The pain was intense. He doubled from the hit to his side. The strange green haze starting to invade his senses.  "Come on. Lets do it like this."  It was inviting, it was enticing him to do something. He didn't like it. "Like hell!!!" With a wince he crouched under the arm and threw his leg up towards his head. One part of him wanted this thing to feel even more pain.

OOC:
 (1d20+7)[ 18 ] 
 (1d4+5)[ 8 ] 
If it hits, using pounce (1 ki point) to provoke a STR save vs 12 or fall prone. If prone can use fury of blows without spending Ki point and gain advantage on FOB.
If he doesn't fall using 1 ki point and bonus action to FOB:
 (1d20+7)[ 23 ] 
 (1d20+7)[ 10 ]  if advantage
 (1d4+5)[ 7 ] 
 (1d20+7)[ 19 ] 
 (1d20+7)[ 8 ]  if advantage
 (1d4+5)[ 7 ] 
Detective
When the guard's began to dissipate, Ethan was at first relieved ... Until he saw the human left behind after the black mist faded, with a logo that appeared familiar to him upon his clothes. Is he even still alive?

A worrying concern, but one that he'll have to focus on later. Not while the other guard is still wailing upon Mark. Raising his shortsword and aiming it towards the guard, Ethan charges forward. "Stay down!" Ethan shouts, and as he thrusts his sword forward? Thorny vines begin to manifest around the blade, with garlic flowers blossoming across the vines.

OOC:
Bonus action - Casting Ensaring Strike (requires concentration)
Action - Attack with shortsword on guard[fr]
Hit roll:  (1d20+5)[ 7 ] 
If with advantage thanks to Mark:  (1d20+5)[ 14 ] 
damage roll  (1d6+3)[ 8 ]  piercing.
If hit, the guard has to make a 13 strength saving throw,  or be restrained by the vines.
Ninja Dragon
"Oh, come on! That one looked awesome!" - for a second, Nick feels like his teen self talking. Then more thoughts start coming to his mind and he is the genius again.

He checks the battery on his belt. It is showing one third of the energy depleted. That lightning shot used a lot of it, and for nothing. He decides to conserve energy for now, they don't know if there are more enemies on the way out.

"Let's try something different now". He presses a button on his left arm, and a visor showing the temperature of the devices lights up. "I think this can get hotter... probably". Then he presses a few more buttons and the temperature starts rising like crazy until it looks like Nick's arm is about to catch fire, instead, the fire leaves the tip of his finger, aimed at the enemy.

On his right arm, the force gun also shoots again.

 
 Spoiler 

BA: Fire Force Cannon
 (1d20+7)[ 17 ] 
 (2d8)[ 12 ] 

Action: Cast Fire Bolt
 (1d20+7)[ 10 ] 
 (1d10)[ 5 ] 
 
Obscurejones
Alex lets out a yip and takes a quick leap back as the bolt of flame shoots out.
 "Careful.  I'd imagine burnt fur smells about as bad as burnt hair.  No need to make me the one emitting the toxic fumes now that the guard's... Evaporated?  Got a science idea on that one?" 
He snaps the whip again mid banter.

OOC
Attack  (1d20+5)[ 16 ] 
Damage  (1d4+5)[ 9 ] 
MCerberus
 Nick and Alex 

Alex's whip manages to find a nice spot under the chin to snap at, leading to a noise that comes somewhere between grunt and scream. Unfortunately, the protest about potential friendly fire is met by a stray bolt of fire singing the tip of his ears. And he just got those.

The force cannon has a better time striking home. It takes a moment for the guard to catch its breath before moving again. It seems to have made the calculation on who the real threat is. Mad science doom devices are currently hurting more than wrapped leather. They start charging at Nick, but thanks to the previous force hits can't quite make it into striking range. They're close though, and to Alex's eyes the charge left it open to an attack.

 Mark and Ethan 

Blows land on the armored figure, while behind him blades slice at its form. Unfortunately, Ethan's attacks only find the clunk of armor and the foe remains standing. However, the darkness around it seems to flicker and they start favoring one of their legs. It doesn't look like the foe can take much more. Unfortunately for Mark, that means that higher thinking goes out the window and they lash out at the snappy-dressed pugilist once again.

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 17 ]  vs 17
  Damage  - (2d8+4)[ 11 ] 
Obscurejones
Alex let’s out a quick whistle and waves his shield at the fleeing foe.
 “No, no, you don’t ignore the guy with the whip. That’s how you wind up lacerated.” 
He cracks the whip at their heels for emphasis.
OOC
Attack (Of opportunity, I think based on the description)  (1d20+5)[ 14 ] 
Damage  (1d4+5)[ 9 ] 
MCerberus
 Nick and Alex 

The whip lands home on a piece of movement assistance gear built into the guard's armor. While that would have hurt flesh, whatever it's made of deflects the blow.


OOC- back to the top of the combat order
Ninja Dragon
Nick spends the next few seconds contemplating the place where the body disappeared, trying to figure it out. Then he shakes his head in frustration and replies:

"The only thing I know is that this is impossible according to any known laws of physics!"

He is so focused he doesn't notice the other man coming to kill him.

Then when he hears Alex hitting him, he angrily yells to the enemy: "Don't interrupt my analysis!". And then fires another round at him, while moving back as much as he can.

 
 Spoiler 

BA: shoot cannon
 (1d20+7)[ 21 ] 
 (2d8)[ 5 ] 

Action: Cast fire bolt
 (1d20+7)[ 22 ] 
 (1d10)[ 3 ] 

Move 30 ft away from the enemy.
 
Detective
Ethan watched in horror as the baton of the guard has hit Mark hard enough to make him go down, hurt, unconscious, and bleeding. Frantic with worry for the man's life, the gentlemanly dressed Ethan anxiously pats his clothes down for anything that can be used to either mend the wound or at least stem the bleeding.

"This new attire got to have something- There!" He exclaims, finding a leather pouch on his waist that he opens up to find an assortment of bandages and salves. He is dressed armed to the teeth for a fight, so it should be only natural he'll at least have something to treat injuries with both during and after a fight!

Not willing to take the risk of Mark bleeding out or the guard trying to further pummel him while he's down, Ethan goes prone above Mark while pulling out some bandages to halt the bleeding - Attempting to protect Mark's body with his own!

OOC:
Actions:
Action: Applying healer's kit on Mark to stabilize him.
Also, choosing to go prone above Mark in an attempt to give him cover.
Currently maintaining concentration on ensnaring strike.
Bonus Action: Designating Slayer's Prey on the guard.
Obscurejones
Alex skirts after the enemy, keeping himself just out of their reach as he snaps at the back of their head.
“Yeah, the man’s got science to do… I assume. Probably very important.”

OOC
Moving to ten feet back from enemy, attacking with whip.
Attack  (1d20+5)[ 9 ] 
Damage  (1d4+5)[ 7 ] 
Apologies for the delay.
MCerberus
 Nick and Alex 

Alex's luck with the whip does not seem to improve, with the guard not even pausing due to his attack. It doesn't seem to matter since a force blast knocks him back and onto one knee. It looks ready to collapse and give up the fight, then gets hit in the head with a ray of fire. Like the previous one the armor seems to go away in smoke which then dissipates leaving a human figure.

There is no immediate thread, but you can hear combat going on elsewhere among the pods.

OOC - it will take 1 turn to get to Mark and Ethan if you want to

 Mark and Ethan 

Mark is stabilized, but unfortunately he can't feel the connection to keep the guard tethered in place. This is a problem due to other guard still berserk in rage... grief? It's difficult to know what drives these

  Attack  - (1d20+8)[ 18 ] 
  Damage  - (2d8+4)[ 15 ] 
Detective
The heavy hit by the guard was strong enough to break Ethan's focus, the thorny vines around the blade wither and break apart without ever making contact with the guard.

"Aaaagh!" Ethan shouts out in pain, having been hit for the first time. With so much force behind the blow, it was easy to understand now how Mark ended up going down - And if he'll take another blow like that? It'll be the end for him too!

Ethan gets up, drawing his second shortsword to dual wield both... And attacks, attempting to concentrate on dealing the utmost damage he can do to bring the guard down before himself!

OOC:
Actions:
Getting up, and redrawing the second shortsword.
Action: Attack with shortsword on guard.
Hit roll: (1d20+5)[ 23 ] 
If hit:
Damage roll, shortsword (1d6+3)[ 6 ]  piercing
Bonus action:Attack with shortsword on guard.
Hit roll: (1d20+5)[ 12 ] 
If hit:
Damage roll, shortsword (1d6)[ 6 ]  piercing

If any of the attacks hit, adding Slayer's Pry damage while also marking the guard with Favored Foe on hit, which takes concentration.
Damage roll, Slayer's Prey:  (1d6)[ 5 ]  piercing
Damage roll, Favored Foe:  (1d4)[ 3 ]  piercing
Ninja Dragon
"Interesting..." - he looks at the body of the second enemy that is also disappearing.

But then Nick hears the sound of fighting in the other location.

He looks to the person (or beast?) that has been fighting along with him.

"Did you hear this? There may be more people in trouble. Let's go help them."

And then he starts running towards them, his eldritch cannon still in hand.
MCerberus
 Nick and Alex 

Nick (and Alex if they decide to follow) will find that there are more of these pods going around. In fact, around seems to be accurate. The hallway they're in is circular. It doesn't take long before a pair of fancily-dressed fellows are discovered, along with another one of the 'people' behind the armor. At least temporarily. A side glance away from the defeated form and it seems to just disappear.

One of these fellows is bleeding profusely. Another is bleeding... moderately?

 Mark and Ethan 

The slayer's rage seems to take over Ethan for a moment, resulting in a very upsetting screech coming from the last guard who falls to the ground and reveals the figure inside like the other one. Ethan seems to have all their pieces together. Mark... well adversity is character building. He'll come around eventually by his own effort or some good old-fashioned shaking.

With the immediate threat gone, the pair would see oncoming what appears to be someone with a different but similarly outlandish as themselves fashion sense and maybe a werewolf?
Ninja Dragon
Nick glances at the situation, figuring out the two in front of him are probably allies since they are fighting similar enemies, just like his beast friend.

But then, as he has time to breathe and stop doing science faster than a normal human brain can fathom, the absurdity of the situation starts kicking in, and the teenage boy starts surfacing again.

"Is everything under control here? Do you need help? I am Nick, by the way. And this is... I don't think I know your name yet."

Is that... a furry? - he thinks - But he decides not to ask it and to avoid insulting whatever that is.

"So uh... what the hell is going on here?" - he asks, hoping someone knows.
Detective
Ethan takes some deep, long breaths once the guard is finally defeated, sheathing both of his blades.

When Ethan heard someone speaking up asking if they need help, Ethan turned to see who just arrived. The moment he notices Alex in his beastly form?

The gentlemanly dressed Ethan exclaimed in shock: "Werewolf!" He shouts in surprise, a hand already reaching for the shortsword's handle in reflex. When he notices just how different the two are from the guards however, and once the initial shock fades away? Ethan's grip on the sword loosens.

"I barely know what's going on here myself. Woke up, tried running away and caught, heard a voice talking to me, and now i'm dressed like this-" He tugs at the brown frock coat he is wearing for emphasis.

"More importantly, this guy here needs medical treatment." He states while looking down at Mark. "He helped me fend off the guards, and took more of a beating than me. I did what I could could to stabilize him, but he'll be unconcious for a while."

Speaking of unconciousness, Ethan then turns around to look at the other figure that was revealed from the dissipated body of the last guard he defeated.

"I'm worried about the other people here, too."
Ninja Dragon
"Same. I'm just a high school student, but I'm wearing those clothes and... do I have a mustache now?" - Nick touches it.

"Also something weird happened, a while ago it was like I suddenly became a genius and started having a bunch of ideas, but now I'm back to normal. Like someone was possessing my body, but I was still in control. Not sure if you get it..."

But as he tries to explain, his eye focuses on the downed man, and his mind starts racing again. Nick pulls two cords from his backpack, connects them to the battery on his belt, plugs them into a pair of metal objects and then presses some buttons on his wrist devices to raise the voltage.

"Wait a minute, I think I know how to help this man. If his heart is no longer beating this will restart it, and if it is... it will make it beat faster".

He then electrocutes the man's chest with the device he just assembled in seconds.

 
 Spoiler 
Cast Cure Wounds on Mark:  (1d8+5)[ 10 ] 
 


Then he puts the device away, looks at the other man and says "... and it just happened again".
Obscurejones
 
 Originally Posted by Detective 
 The gentlemanly dressed Ethan exclaimed in shock: "Werewolf!" He shouts in surprise, a hand already reaching for the shortsword's handle in reflex. When he notices just how different the two are from the guards however, and once the initial shock fades away? Ethan's grip on the sword loosens. 
 

Alex whips his head around, looking over his shoulder as the Ethan calls out.
 "Where!?  Wolf!?...

... There Castle."
 

 
 Originally Posted by Ninja Dragon 
 "Same. I'm just a high school student, but I'm wearing those clothes and... do I have a mustache now?" - Nick touches it. 
 

 "I for one am just grateful my appearance remains unchanged.  All in all, fairly average day, nothing really to call out about it."   Alex chuckles to himself and looks for a place to sit, ultimately deciding to just hunker down onto his haunches as he watches to see if they're fourth companion is roused by the the... Well based on the description it's less of a defibrillator and more of a Superfibrillator.
 "Do we think we'll have to fight our way out?" 
MCerberus
Alex would find to sit on: pods, pods, and a few remnants of pods

With everyone healthy enough to move and converse, the combatants who channeled themselves into weapon attacks would feel an uncomfortable tingling. It's like lactic acid buildup, but it feels oddly like it would also leave a bruise or something.

[Passive Perception - All members succeed]

With the excitement of waking up and being assaulted over, it looks like the pods are all arranged in an inner and outer wall. There's a gap between some pods in an inner wall with an up and down arrow readout, and buttons. Otherwise unmarked, it's still pretty obvious it's a door and probably an elevator. About a quarter of the pods on the outer wall seem to be deactivated. coming from vents above you is purely cold artificial air causing any sweat to evaporate quickly.
 I mean we've already had two wolf jokes, but is Alex wearing shoes? That may get chilly 
 
 Spoiler: Insight DC20 

The voice you hear within your own skull when you mull things around is slightly different.

 
 Spoiler: DC25 
You can almost sense a running commentary, and in the background of your thoughts seems to be another voice, from when you fell asleep
 

 
Detective
Ethan looks at Alex with disbelief. Is he... Is he not aware that he's a werewolf right now? It may be a good idea to show him with a mirror eventually, but for now, Ethan's current focus should be on figuring where they are, and how to get out of here.

Watching over as Nick prepares an electric shock to heal Mark, Ethan only manages to utter "I don't think-" before the electrocution happens with the device, and Mark is healed up.

"... Huh. Guess that'll do?" Given how strange their current predicament and powers are, it may best not to dive too deeply into how their abilities work.

"You mentioned you're a high school student, right?" Ethan asks Nick. "Is it the Cognitive Research Academy for Advanced Minds? I happen to have taken a train going into said school, and I noticed one of the figures that-" He pauses to think of the right term. "... Fallen, out of the guards once they've been defeated, had a logo that I've seen on documents relating to said school."

Ethan explains back, sharing what he knows with the situation. "Oh- And my name's Ethan. Might as well share mine, if we ought to work together."

While he's curious about the pods around them, Ethan goes to focus on the figure that fell off from the last guard they've defeated in order to inspect him. Maybe there'll be something else on him that will help them out?

OOC:
Rolls to inspect the figure:
Perception:  (1d20+5)[ 18 ] 
Insight:  (1d20+3)[ 6 ] 
Ninja Dragon
"That one" - he recognizes the name of the school - "Though I just joined it. I was in the train on the way to the school when... I think I passed away, and suddenly I was here."

"Do you think the school did this to us? Or is it some rogue agent?"
Detective
"I don't know yet, it is all too bizzare to wrap my head around it" Ethan says in response. "Only reason I've enrolled to said school is due to a scholarship." Ethan glances up at the pods and the gap in between them. "First, we should figure out if we are in the school or somewhere else. I don't recall stepping off the train, so perhaps we were brought in to another destination."
MCerberus
 
 Spoiler: Ethan's Check Results 
Same clothes, same lack of visible wounds on the body. This one has a beauty mark high on the left cheek. Just a person.
 


During discussions eyes are turned away from the body and looking back again it's gone.
Shiro_Nogard
Coughing a little Mark woke up. His ribs hurt like hell and he tryed to nurse them only to find them warped already. "Damn it!" He cursed before giving a thanks for it. He also asked about them.
"So thre might be a greater effect here we are not looking." He mumbled as he considered the place. However he might need to prove the theory. And with a little inside help.
"Just let me get up."  He wasn't about to stay down. Specially now that he had to break out of this delusion.
"Let's just get to the upper floors. Maybe we can get a signal."
Obscurejones
Alex shrugs his shoulders and hops to his feet. Picks at his fangs teeth with a claw, then tilts his head to the side as if listening to something distant.
 “… That a real or fake name? Not sure why you’d pretend to be an Ethan, but also feels odd to give real names.” 
He shrugs again and coils his whip, hanging the coil and his shield on his belt. Looks at a shard of pod to gauge his appearance. Snorts.
 ”Cynos. And I’m ready to go.” 
Detective
Seeing Mark has woken up, Ethan took in a deep breath in relief.

"Glad to see you're up. I don't know exactly where we ought to go, but we ought to keep moving together if we want to have a chance of escaping this place."

Ethan then turns to Cynos following his comment about the name. He looks at Cynos' bestial appearance, down at his own victorian style get-up, then back at Cynos. "I think we all look differently than what we'll expect given our names."

Ethan said, though he can't help but think that the name 'Cynos' fits for the werewolf look.
MCerberus
And so the four... assembled characters make their way onto the elevator. It's easy enough to call, and takes a few seconds to arrive. The inside is roomy, much bigger than your average elevator box. This one seems to be capable of moving cargo. There's a silent speaker above the control panel, which appears to have a keycard slot. There are a few floors numbered off, with the first button labeled with an 'M' and the top 'B'.

There is an indicator in text that in case of emergency to go to floor M.
Detective
Reading through the options, namely the buttons labeled 'M' and 'B', Ethan speaks up his thoughts

"The routes meant for emergencies are generally meant to lead you to the exit. Could be our way out."
Ninja Dragon
Nick agrees: "That makes the most sense. Is that elevator going to work, though? I think we may need a key card".
Shiro_Nogard
"We need to get out." Taking a long look at the panel he could make an educated guess. "Main lobby or basement... we might need to shut this down."
Ninja Dragon
"Only way to know if it works"

Nick presses the button labeled M.
MCerberus
As the elevator starts to move down? up? to its destination the party's collective members will have an odd feeling. You're expecting an unambiguous down, but just like when you first woke up there's a difference between what your brain is expecting and what your inner-ear is reporting. It's uncomfortable but not directly painful. Thankfully there is no easy listening coming from the speaker during your transit, but the ride does take an exceedingly long time for the number of floors the panel is reporting.

Eventually the door opens on floor "M". Not finding a lobby, or security station of any kind, this appears to be some kind of storage or warehouse. There are two-level racks with metallic boxes containing who knows what. Several colored lines lead from the elevator, staying in a tight bundle at first, but one of them turns off at the first intersection of aisles. A quick investigation will show that the path with the most painted lines leads to a thoroughfare big enough for multiple small vehicles.

Insight 15 or Perception 10:
 
 Spoiler 
Those are navigation lines. And hey, once you know what they are there's a clear guide on the wall nearby. Yellow, blue, green all go to loading areas. Red is emergencies, which is one of the paths that stays on the 'road'
 


Perception 15:
 
 Spoiler 
*clang* *clang* *clang* *clang*
 
Ninja Dragon
Nick turns to a wall, where there is a guide. He reads it.

"Those are navigation lines. Probably to some kind of vehicle. I think red is the emergency exit"

He adds:

"Also, I don't think we are alone. Though I'm not sure if what I'm hearing is person or machine".
Detective
"I can hear it too." Ethan says in agreement, looking around for the source without much luck.

"The way I see it, we have two options." Ethan lifts a finger to point at the path with the most painted lines. "We could go through that area, see if there is a vehicle we can hop on to and then attempt to drive to safety. It will make noise, but if we get our hands on a vehicle we may be able to move faster towards the exit."

The daring, brazen approach. For the second option, Ethan lowers his hand to point at the red line specifically.

"This line appears to be for emergencies, which could be our most direct path. If we are all comfortable with sneaking about, we could go through unnoticed if we watch where we step."

The suble, silent approach.

"I'll prefer stealth if we can, if only because I'll rather not risk getting pummeled again in another fight."
Shiro_Nogard
Pondering a little Mark kept a hand at his side, wincing occasionally. "Well." he started slowly. "I say we go the stealth way. but lets try to chose points on the way we could fall back if we are found out. Right now we are the small group, so if we chose the ground we can take advantage."
Ninja Dragon
"Well I don't think I'm very stealthy myself. In fact, I have the impression I'm even less stealthy with this body than with my original one. This stuff..."

he looks at the gadgets all over his body, his backpack full of clangy things and his armor

"... is noisy."
Obscurejones
Cynos makes a show of taking a few steps on tiptoe. Mimes putting a shushing finger to his lips.
MCerberus
The stealthy approach would work... well enough at least. The party would soon learn that their ability to quiet themselves is helped by the clanking of a large mechanical creature. It does not seem to notice anyone, just patrolling among the inventory of the warehouse. Like the guards you fought before, this beast doesn't have any organic parts showing, instead being composed of large metal plates. Its shape and movement is reminiscent of a canine, but weight and artificiality betray it as not quite a real dog...

Well that and it being 6 feet tall at the shoulders.

The beast's face does not show expression, though it is molded into the same canine mockery as the body.

Perception 15
 
 Spoiler 
It does have gear attached to the armor like the guards, what appears to be a cooling system with blue liquid flowing through tubes and fog forming around where they are exposed
 


Insight 15
 
 Spoiler 
It shows no hostility or alert. Just looking at the boxes as it passes
 
Detective
Eyes narrowed upon the dog-like creature, Ethan quietly remarks: "There are tubes attached to this being just like the guard, only with a blue liquid inside. Can't help but wonder what it means."

He then turns to the group.
"We ought not to take the same path as that creature, at least. There is also the possibility that there's more of them here, so we need to be vigilant."
Ninja Dragon
"It doesn't seem to care about us" - Nick adds - "It is only looking at the boxes. I think we are safe as long as we don't touch anything".

"Let's go before it changes its mind, though" - he warns.
Shiro_Nogard
Peaking with care he takes his time to listen and answer the others. "I agree. the creature is not on alert. Lets keep it that way." It was a good idea to leave things as they are. Who knows what kind of weird gasses could do tho their already exposed minds do.
MCerberus
The path past the robo-dog takes you closer to the mechanical beast than you are now, but luckily it doesn't seem to mind you much. Anyone who would get close to the merchandise would draw its immediate attention, but overall it seems content with the job it's programmed to do.

As you continue on the red path nothing else besides potentially the sounds of another guard hound can be heard. This place is meant to be lonely, empty of life. No sign of any more guards or more pods or anything. Eventually the path ends with a series of hatches against a far wall.
Detective
As the group goes across the red path, Ethan attempts to get a better look at the crates the and merchandize the beast appears to be protecting while keeping a safe distance away from the merchandize as to no aggravate the beast

Upon reaching the wall, Ethan attempts to count the hatchets, at least to get a rough estimate if there are too many. "Any clue as to where they might lead?" He asks the rest of the group.
"Because, I may sound crazy for suggesting this - But what if we ask the beast?" An idea he himself is not quite sure on!

"Hear me out. The guard dog has noticed, that is certain, but it hasn't risen any alarms about us. I am not saying it is friendly, but perhaps it is neutral enough for us to ask some questions? We did want answers about our situation, after all."


ooc: Rolling perception to check the crates.
 (1d20+5)[ 25 ] 
Obscurejones
 "...  It's not objectively crazier then the situation we find ourselves in.  But if it turns sour on us we'd want to be set to pour a beating down on its head the moment it snarls." 
Cynos steps forward to inspect the hatches, looking for any signs of where they might lead.
MCerberus
The crates don't have any clear labels on them describing contents. There are tags on them, serial numbers or IDs. Smaller boxes closer to the main routes, larger ones tucked away more. They all appear to be metal. It seems this is more of a holding facility where things are stored before use. Grabbing one of the boxes would probably be a good ice-breaker to start a conversation with the guard-bot.

You're not too attached to your faces right?
 doitdoitdoitdoit
 

The hatches don't seem to have any individual markings on them or windows to look in, but there are several. Not as many as the pods but the sturdy attachment and the fact you're at the end of the 'exit' path makes some implications.
Ninja Dragon
Nick ponders about the idea

"I don't think this is a safe idea but... but... " he looks to the beast, as an insumortable amount of curiosity about its mechanisms fills his mind "... it may work out just fine".

He approaches the giant dog, trying not to get too close to the boxes.

"Excuse me, my friend. Are you able to talk to us?"
MCerberus
The robot guard slowly turns its attention to Nick, with a loud slam of metal on metal whenever its forepaws make contact with the ground. Some lights around where the head piece is glow red and then turn off. It is missing the familiar body language of an actual dog, instead seeming to 'stare' at the spaker. Without mouth movement, finally, comes a response distorted slightly with static.

  "Yea for the hand that grasps shall be rended. Shall you feed the river of souls. Human viscera is considered a slipping hazard. Acknowledge."  

It then begins to 'stare' again. You've made contact, and it doesn't seem too upset.
Detective
While Ethan didn't know what the creautre meant by 'river of souls', the word 'Viscera' made the aspiring doctor to quickly think of internal organs - Particularly those from the abdonmen like the intenstine. Imagining such organs splattered on the floor invokes a grim mental sight, causing Ethan to grimace.

"Ac-Acknowledged." Ethan speaks up next, walking forward to speak besides Nick.

"Can you tell us where we are? We are..." Ethan pauses, being deliberate in his words. "We are still adjusting to this place."
MCerberus
No reaction visible from the bot. This could be because it's not programmed for conversation etiquette.
 
 "Level 1 Pressure bulkhead 1 Row 14 subsection AY-ADelta. Acknowledge request to summon security for processing"   

It's being helpful.
Detective
To summon security? Here? Oh no, that's the opposite of helping out! They got to think of something fast before they'll be found out!

"No need, already went through processing." Ethan lies through his teeth. At least, he thinks he might be lying? For all he knows, him waking up in a cell may have been part of the processing.

"Uhm... We were ordered to head through the exit. Acknowledge request to escort us to the exit." He gambles with a bluff now, trying to use a the same 'Acknowledge' term used by the guard dog in their favor.
Shiro_Nogard
As he was being distracted looking around he wasn't fully paying attention to the others. But as it looked like things were looking okay he decided to keep looking around.
'What would all thins things look say about my own mentality. A chaotic genius?'

  "Level 1 Pressure bulkhead 1 Row 14 subsection AY-ADelta. Acknowledge request to summon security for processing"  

He almost gave himself whiplash at that one. His partner? response wasn't that helpful either. He muttered to him. "That would create a hazardous zone. That action is not recommended."
MCerberus
The guard dog 'stares' at you for a moment, perhaps too long. No indication of whether it's thinking something's wrong. Luckily the ruse isn't ruined by nerves and eventually someone starts speaking its language.  

"Escort complete. Exit area within acceptable range. Hazard avoidance... pod 7 security measures disabled. Please report variance to proper authorities."  

One of the pods clicks, and if the murderbot isn't lying to you, you should be in the clear, if you're done poking around.
Shiro_Nogard
With a frown he looks at the car. Then at the figment. "Cant stay here." He made his way to the cart. "We have to move."
Ninja Dragon
Nick agrees. Relutanctly. He wishes he could stay and find out how the dog works, but common sense screams in his head and he snaps out of it.

"Let's go".
Detective
Ethan takes a long sigh of relief when the guard dog cooperated. The bluff worked!

"Help, acknowledged." He says in thanks to the guard dog, quickly turning around to follow the others. "Let's move!"
MCerberus
The pods are where they left them, still not numbered off and no kind of lights have gone up or anything. Left to right there appear to be 15 of them. One of them has been prepared for you, as described.

Due to the nature of getting into the pod, it would be a good idea to be explicitly unanimous here.
Obscurejones
Cynos tips his head to the hatch.
 ”All at once?” 
Shiro_Nogard
He gave a nod. "Strength in numbers." he made his way to the pod. "Lets hope this is not our delusion."
MCerberus
True to its word, no alarms go off or security response comes when the pod door is open. Inside are four rows of two seats. Despite the bare metallic look of the rest of the pods, these seats seem to be padded, in a color and pattern that looks vaguely familiar. Up front is a small window and behind that the infinite expanse of space. Small specs seem to rotate in and out of view until you see a more familiar, paler, blue dot start to dominate your visions.

That would be Earth, exactly as it looks like in the pictures from the moon. The door begins to close on its own without input and a voice comes over an unseen intercom, "attention students". The pod detaches from its moorings and begins to float down. There is a slight rumble, not alarming but changed from what you were experiencing. There is the small whine of metal-on-metal. The sun starts to come into view and as light is about to flood into the pod...

You wake up somewhere in the Southwestern US, safely on a train, in normal clothes, sans lycanthropy et cetera and with a new text message.

"...closed but sandwiches will be provided. We need to get everyone sorted into their rooms quickly. Busy day tomorrow," a passing adult seems to be explaining.

It's nighttime, but not late into it. There are still the dying embers of the sunset on the horizon, but moments later those will disappear.
Shiro_Nogard
Patting himself so he makes sure everything is in place he finally lets go of a breath he was holding.

"So lets compare notes." He turns to the others after making sure they were mostly clear. But for him it was more a 'who did it kind of thing'. He coughs as he continues. "Collective hypnosis?" He starts throwing all they saw as an hypothetical that could have happened. But for him it was more a 'Let's see where those responsible went wrong'.
Ninja Dragon
Nick is just dumbfounded. He looks around to those 3 people standing near him who now look completely different. He tries to think really hard to see if he can understand something, but that amazing brain power he seemed to have just a few minutes ago is gone, and he feels more stupid than he has ever felt before. Actually, it reminds him of that one time he did weed. But the visions back then were way less definied than the memories in his head now.

He is about to assume someone just put something in his dream, when the other guy who seems to be Mark based on position says something about collective hypnosis.

"Wait, you guys saw it too?" - he asks.
Detective
Ethan woke up with a deep breath, taking in the fresh air - Well, as much of a 'fresh air' as you can get inside the train. Better than what they had inside the 'dream', at least.

"First, let's check if we all had the same dream." Ethan asks, glancing between the other three that supposedly shared the dream with him. Two that look familiar, and one... That looked further off.

"Have all dreamt about waking up in some sort of prison? Fought down guards that weren't actually human yet dropped down a human upon defeat and dissipation. Have we all dreamt about a big guard that we convinced to show us the way out, and..."

He then looks back at Alex, the one with the least resemblance to one of his allies at the dream. "... And weren't you a werewolf?"
Obscurejones
Alex does his best to hold a deadpan expression, no selling the utter weirdness of the moment.
 “No idea what you’re talking about. And it’s a dog man.  It’s actually where we get the word cynic. So that’s… A Fun Fact, I guess.” 
MCerberus
The other students in the train cabin don't take much notice of the sudden conversations. They just grumble and start collecting their luggage while the staff looks on trying to rush things along. Some of them are grumbling about food, but mostly just continue their way out.
Ninja Dragon
Nick picks up his luggage, checking if everything is still inside it.

"Guys, I think we have to go, or they will notice us. We... should be careful who we tell this thing to. I don't know who we are supposed to trust now." - he says, very aprehensive at the experience he just had.
Obscurejones
 “Maybe it’s ergotism. Anyone else have the pastrami on rye for lunch?” 
Alex gathers his things, grinning with a similarly lupine smile to his alter ego,
Detective
Deciding to leave the werewolf, man-dog thing aside for now? Ethan picks up his suitcase, ready to move out.
"I prefer the avocado sandwich myself. I like my greens." he says, followed by an awkward chuckle. Thinking over about lunch helps allevate the stress and beffudlment that followed waking up from such a strange... 'Dream', for lack of a better term.

"Maybe we can find a quiet spot to chat about it all at campus. There should be a quiet spot at a lobby or library somewhere."
Shiro_Nogard
"Yes. In fact yes." He takes a look at the others picking up their bags lets a deep breath out. "But I suggest we move to a more enlightening space before this." As he gets up he cant help but notice the lingering pain at his side, but the lack of feeling of a bruise from a cursory examination make him frown.

 "Could it be a strong suggestion combined with a lack of oxygen on the bus? But then some of the others with less fit bodies would have shown symptoms of hypoxia."  he kept muttering all the way down.
MCerberus
For those of you thinking about food, there's good news outside of the train. Just outside of the platform the school set up handouts of different kinds. One of the half-dozen options is Avocado, Lettuce and Tomato, but unfortunately it looks like roast beef is the closest to a good pastrami. C'est la vie. Chips, cookies, and different soft drinks are set up.

The group can't really tell if they've been overheard. Nobody seems to be paying close attention. Seems a lot of others are forming small cliques already. With a lot of people still picking up their dinner, there aren't many over at the desk with a "room assignment" sign out front yet. In the early nighttime there are a lot of quiet places to have discussions in the mean-time, but it looks like it's all open air.
Ninja Dragon
Nick observes the area around him, trying to figure out where the best place to have a safe conversation is. Should he find a good spot, he signals to his friends (can he call them that? He just met them) to go there.

Assuming anyone follows him, he says: "So, any plan of action now? I want to know who took us to that place, whatever it was".
Shiro_Nogard
"Lets eat and get the room assignment first out of the way first. But before that lets trade numbers, lets leave our things and then we can try to find the linchpin." He pops his neck. the feeling of the last fight lingers still. "I am Mark, Mark Forest. A pleasure."
Detective
"Ethan Bell." He follows suit when Mark says his full name.

"I don't think we have rooms assigned yet. If we do it now, we might be able to not only get rooms together, but also have the rooms be close to one another. Could help us with, uhm..." He looks around, seeing the other people around. "Help with 'you know what' ".
Obscurejones
 “And if the rooms are assigned, and we’re together… We’ll that seems unlikely to be a coinky-dink.” 
Alex grimaces, but relents to the right thing to do.
 ”Alex Boswell.” 
MCerberus
It looks like getting room assignments first may have been a good idea. Behind the group a lot of people with wrapped sandwiches and snacks file in wanting to eat inside. Coincidences about as it seems that Ethan and Nick are in 217a, sharing a bathroom with a pair of neighbors they will have to introduce themselves later. Alex and Mark are a little down the hall in 238b, at least on the same floor. The attendant informs you it's doors closed at 9:00 tonight and could you please be sure to log in to the provided laptops in your room.

Oh, there does seem to be an extra red sheet of paper in with the paperwork for Ethan and Nick. It seems that due to past  circumstances  they will need approval for any outside package orders and electrical or potentially fire-starting devices are going to be banned barring reassessment, which seems to be about 3 weeks away. So microwaves, hot plates, toasters will all need to be the ones in a communal room.

The entrance to the school is pretty close to the dorms, so it isn't too far off if the group wants to skip dinner.
Ninja Dragon
"Nicholas Franklin", he replies, "but just call me Nick". Being somewhat socially awkward, he feels happy he is making some friend this soon, although the circunstances are less than ideal.


 
 Originally Posted by MCerberus 
 Oh, there does seem to be an extra red sheet of paper in with the paperwork for Ethan and Nick. It seems that due to past  circumstances  they will need approval for any outside package orders and electrical or potentially fire-starting devices are going to be banned barring reassessment, which seems to be about 3 weeks away. So microwaves, hot plates, toasters will all need to be the ones in a communal room. 
 

"Lame" - he comments to Ethan - "I had some hope this would be a fresh start." - he almost says he kind of hopes they could go back to that world, where he turned into some magical version of Tesla and could do all the tech he's ever wanted, but he decides against it so his new friends don't think he's a weirdo.

"So..." - he asks the other guy - "Any idea why they decided not let you have eletrical appliances?"
Detective
"I wouldn't know." Ethan replies, looking over at the paperwork placed in front of them. "Assuming this paperwork isn't placed for everyone else? The only notion that comes to mind is that I need to take a particular medicine every day. Pharmaceutical, so I can understand them wanting to be in the know for anything I order to keep track and make sure it is properly distributed and used.

Electrical appliances, though?" He looks at the paperwork with confusion, unable to think up of anything. "That, I just don't understand. Worry of fire hazards, maybe? I'm just throwing guesses here."
Ninja Dragon
"I see. Might be that, I guess. Maybe this room is in bigger danger of fire because of its location. It's not like they think that I... - I mean, we - are likely to burn anything. We are both very responsible when handling electrical things." - he makes a smile that all but betrays it. Especially if one would remember the things Nick did with electricity when he was in the other body.
Detective
Ethan tilts his head at the odd smile Nick made... And then just shrugs. "We should be responsible. We aren't some havoc-raising kids playing around with electricity." He says back with a smile of his own, chuckling at the thought. Juse a genuine joke, with Ethan being non the wiser.

While what happened in the other world could have been a tell about Nick's past? The situation was so strange and unorthodox, Ethan just couldn't connect it to anything yet.

"How about we'll go check on the other two? See if they got the same paperwork as we did."
Ninja Dragon
Yeah good idea: "Nick says, avoiding to mess with that point any further".

He leaves for the corridor, and knocks at the other two guys' room.