Chapter 2.4: Patron of Lost Causes

The Dyer Estate has recovered somewhat since you've left it. Not all the way, but maybe half the way.

Pheonix and Saint arrive a few minutes after the field agents. She in grey combat gambeson, a full suit of the same high-tech gambeson tunics given to the field agents on their first day, and hair pulled back in a tight bun. He in denim and leather and home-forged armor, skin a deep tan and dark hair close cropped. She's walking in his long shadow, though there is still a couple of hours left before sunset.

Phoenix's companion raises a hand in greeting as he and Phoenix arrive, a friendly smile on his face, grey eyes taking in the agents present. He's a tall, brown, well-built man in his twenties with close-cut black hair, and the kind of build common in contact sports - broad shouldered and sturdy. He has a scattering of visible scars on his hands, face, and a larger scar on his neck that continues towards his shoulder, the full extent of the past damage hidden by his clothes. His clothes match the rest of his appearance - well-worn leather, home-forged armor layered overtop dark flannel, sturdy denim jeans and even sturdier boots.

"Pleasure to meet you, Phoenix has told me a bit about you all, I look forward to working with you."

Phoenix looks surprisingly badass — for a pair of Giftless, anyway. "Likewise," I say. "It's always a pleasure to meet a fellow monster hunter."

Leather and metal, Vesper says. That's not very practical. I bet it's enchanted.

I'm not going to take a look, if that's what you're asking. We're about to fight a swarm of horrors; I can't waste mana on irrelevant trivia.

Out loud, "How much has Phoenix told you about the situation?"

"I'm glad Phoenix took my advice and found a few more who were up for working with the Commission,"Saint chuckles, gently nudging Phoenix. "I'm really looking forwards to seeing what you're both capable of."

Saint pulls knuckledusters from his pocket as he talks, settling them in place and flexing his fingers. "Phoenix read me the booklet while we were driving over. Aside from that... it sounds like things seem to be contained to one lot for now, it sounds like the exact location of the entrance is currently unknown, they might be hazardous to people's minds, and it sounds like they're using people and plants as building material?"

He looks at Phoenix. "Was there anything else important that I forgot?"

“I am concerned about their ability to warp space. It may be within our capabilities to manage, or it may not —depending on their limitations or lack thereof. The booklet from Sawyer gave the impression that it is a gradual thing. Let’s hope that is the case.” Phoenix says.

"I'm confident that we'll manage between the four of us," I say quickly. The last thing we need is another tedious delay, right when we're finally about to actually do something. Thank the Weave Alric isn't here, or he'd probably demand we take a week to study the shoggoths.

"Right," Saint frowns. "Well. All the more reason to deal with them now and get everyone in there back out as soon as possible. They can't use what they don't have."

I give Saint an appreciative grin — finally, a voice of sanity. "Agreed. Now, we don't know where the hive entrance is, but I'm betting it's in the house itself. We burned down a good chunk of the lot earlier and found nothing but dirt."

Any comments or thoughts to make before getting down to business?

"How do we know there are people who can still be rescued, again?"

"... they build with living flesh, don't they?"

"They do, and when we went through they tried to drag us off if you recall." I inject a slight note of insistent worry, though I keep my tone mostly calm and confident. "There could be hundreds of victims in there. If it was you, wouldn't you want someone to rescue you? Sooner, rather than later?"

Phoenix looks between Inara and Hope. "What could be is not the same as what is, and what is is a better guide for tactics. My understanding of what is consists of the facts that the shoggoths have been known to use people as materials before, and have shown willingness to hurt people again. That is sufficient to persuade me to lend a hand, and to be mindful of the possibility of extant victims. I do not know of any current confirmed victims." She arches an eyebrow at Inara.

"No, there are no confirmed victims," I say reluctantly.

Phoenix nods. Her eyes linger on Inara, but do not reveal approval or disapproval, merely a hint of concern. She turns to Hope, "We do not, Hope. Do you think this information changes how we should approach?"

I smile confidently and adjust my posture to portray more of the same. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss the Vanguard. They might have been a bunch of selfish pricks but at least we never stood around yapping when there was something to kill.

Hope won't waste time, Vesper says. We go way back. She likes killing as much as you -- the hard part is convincing her they're an 'acceptable target'.

"Just trying to figure out if we really need to go in there, instead of nuking the place from orbit, as it were."

Phoenix frowns. "Besides being infeasible, the collateral damage would be too high. That would be the case for any attack sufficiently powerful enough to breach an underground nest. Do you have a suggestion for a feasible attack in mind?"

Saint shifts his weight from one leg to the other as he waits for Phoenix to finish talking through the details with Inara and Hope. He seems just as interested in getting on the hunt as Inara, eyes straying to the lot with a keen interest, hands kept busy as he checks and rechecks his gear and pockets with the ease of long habit.

He looks at Hope. "Do you have anything that could actually do the job at that scale? It sounds like these things burrow, so if you've got something that works at depth, it would be good to hear it now. Phoenix is right, though, salt and burn's a pretty extreme measure, it could mean that this place stays uninhabitable for ages - and uninhabited spaces can just breed more problems, given enough time."

"Not really, no. I had some half-baked ideas, but nothing I'd expect to work. If you think clearing the nest by hand is the best option, I'm ready to go."

"If there's any chance that someone's alive in there, going in ourselves is going to be the best way to get them out alive, one way or another," Saint offers Hope a smile. "Have any tips before we head in, Hunter to Hunter?"

"Don't die. I'm already overworked." Hope says with a wink.

"Same to you," Saint laughs loudly. "Maybe we could work together on a hunt or two I've got in the works, there's some wildlife that's getting overpopulated and enough of them can recognize my scent that it's been a bit harder to get things down to a safe level on my own. They keep bolting."

"Sure, I can help out with that after."

"Fantastic," Saint pauses pulls a card from one of his pockets, holding it out. "Here's my contact information, better to stash it somewhere now before things get messy."

Hope takes it, and hands him her own card. It says "Hope" and a number - no description.

Saint takes it with a grin, tucking it into a pocket.

His own card is simple and white, professionally printed, and has a little punch-out in the shape of a door on one side of the card.

`Saint (xxx) xxx-xxxx

Opener Of Doors Guardian Hunter Patron of Lost Causes IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, BREAK DOWN THE DOOR`

(( For a very rough image, click here! BROKEN LINK ))

"Interesting card... Does the door actually do something?"

"If you punch it out, it lets me know you need some help," Saint's explains. "The closer you are to a door - especially one that you need open - the easier it will be for me to come lend a hand."

"That's fascinating. I'll have questions about how that works later."

"Sounds good, I'll see if I can answer any of them."

Phoenix dons a pair of high-tech clawed gauntlets. "I believe I should take point here. Ms. Sellain, Hope, you have been here before and I will rely on your expertise, do not hesitate to speak up."

She leads the way into the abandoned lot, stopping to crouch by the break in the fence after entering. She brushes the dirt where the broken fence would have been with the tips of her gauntlet claws. "There had been a boundary here. It seems to have been damaged recently." She hums to herself. "Not enough lingers."

She stands and regards the clearing. "The silk, snare lines?" She removes her left gauntlet and reaches her hand out to catch hold of a sunbeam. Her hand ignites into chromatically dancing flames. Then she touches one of the thick silk lines, watching its resistance to combustion. It takes more than a moment to break, and the fire does not travel much down it. "Sticky, but do not retain their stickiness when dehydrated, but it takes time to boil out the water." She observes. She shakes the fire from her hand and reequips her gauntlet.

She watches the surrounding woods like an ambush predator. "It seems like the beasts are still shy." She says after minutes waiting.

"They're pretty stupid, but they try new things and remember when they work. It might take a while to lure them out again, and even when they come out they'll probably just go back into hiding once we start killing them."

Saint keeps pace with Phoenix as she leads the way into the lot, thumbs hooked through his beltloops.

He grins at Inara, voice lightly teasing. "I don't know, hiding when something starts culling your numbers sounds like a smart move to me. Adapting to the situation out here means we should watch for basic tactics. Better to assume something's smarter than it is than risk getting blindsided by something smarter than we expect."

I follow, eager to finally be on the move. "Basic tactics like walking one by one into a hail of bullets and sunfire? Any animal will flinch away from pain — that doesn't suddenly make it a strategist."

"Not every animal," he hums, scratching idly at the large patch of scar tissue on the side of his throat. "But if they try different things, that could be a sign of something. Just gives us an extra reason to keep our guard up - we're a lot less likely to have someone come out of this with a life-threatening injury if we over estimate their intelligence."

I open my mouth to explain that healing wounds is a trivial piece of magic, and change my mind at the last moment. The less these people know of my abilities, the better. Besides, I'm trying to be friendly and cooperative, and rubbing someone's face in their ignorance is neither. "Fair enough," I say instead. "Conditions might be different inside the hive as well."

"Ms. Sellain, you suggested we check the house? Let's do so now." Phoenix says. She picks a path through the underbrush, watchful for absent shoggoths.

The house, the Dyer Manor, is more corpse of wood and stone than house. It has been moldering for the better part of a century and shows every day of it. Unseasonably lush forest spills out of it like a grander reflection of mushrooms on a log. What is left of the porch looks like it would crumble away under any strain.

The shoggoths remain hidden.

Saint rolls his shoulders and walks forwards, leaving Phoenix's side for the first time since their arrival, walking forwards to test the wood of the porch with slow, careful steps.

Athletics Check: [1, 3] Result: Failure ❌

There's a crunch as the wood gives way when he steps into the middle of the porch. His reaction is spontaneous, shadows around his foot lashing out and latching onto the edges of the wood, flattening out into a black marbled pattern, one which stretches back towards the agents and Phoenix, who now appears to have a cloak of marble thrown over her frame.

He coughs, then stomps one boot down hard, testing the hardened shadow beneath him. "... okay, let's do this the safe way. If you can all join me, I can keep stabilizing the floor under our feet as we go in."

He takes a few steps forwards and gives the door a solid kick that sends the remnants of the rotting wood left in the doorframe flying inwards. "Door's open."

Spectral Sight? Please? Vesper asks. I really want to know how that spell works.

I nod to Saint and follow him up the ramp, doing my best to ignore Vesper. It's not even wizardry — what could there possibly be worth learning from it?

"Handy spell." Hope draws her guns.

The inside of the manor is a thicket much like the outside, save for greater darkness and dampness. Saint’s stone shadow is still needed to prevent falling into the basement. It smells oppressively of rot and life.

Saint's steps are a slow and steady march forwards, his marbled shadow spreading ahead and around the group. He'll pause, scanning the room for any signs of life. "My guess would be they might have a way underground on the lower level, but you two have seen more of the way they operate. Which way do you want us to go from here?"

Everyone, roll notice

notice: [5, 2]+1 Result: Success! 🎯

Rolled: [3, 1] Result: Failure ❌

Hope sees the set of glistening shoggoth eyes in the gloom, peering down from a hole in the floor above.

shot 1: [4, 5] Result: Success! 🎯

undefined (2d6) results: 2, 5 total: 7

Rolled: [9, 2] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

undefined (3d6 + 1) results: 2, 2, 3 total: 8

Hope instantly raises her guns and fires. No point warning the group, the guns will do that.

Boy howdy do they warn! Gunfire in an enclosed space without ear protection is loud!

Phoenix whirls to focus on Hope, then nearly immediately looks to see what Hope shot.

The dead shoggoth drips ichor from it's pair of bullet wounds.

As the ringing in assembled hunters' ears fades, a swarming sound of calls of "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!" can be heard rising from below and echoed from all sides.

Six shoggoth swarm up from a stair well. Three more drop from holes in the roof. Another couple slither in from the door the hunters entered from.

DoorSwarm: 10 ♣︎
Saint: 9 ♠︎
Phoenix: 5 ♣︎
CeilingSwarm: 4 ♦︎
Hope: 3 ♦︎
BasementSwarm: 2 ♠︎
Inara: 2 ♥︎```

Door swarm grappling rear-most character: [7, 3]+2 Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

Hope, roll athletics

Athletics: [4, 1] Result: Success! 🎯

Hope is Bound by shifting tendrils of shoggoth flesh.

Saint, your move

Protect.: [7, 4] Result: Success! 🎯

Saint squares his footing to make sure he can act as a wall against the oncoming shoggoths, then focuses - the shadows on the floor extend up and over Inara and Hope, becoming an additional layer of armor over their bodies and equipment that leaves them with the same black marble that covers Phoenix, whose marble 'cloak' has drawn closer to become an overlay in much the same way.

Take +2 Armor.

Phoenix surges forward to rake clawed gauntlets across the shoggoth binding Hope.

Clawed gauntlet attack against vulnerable shoggoth: [6 💥 5 = 11, 2]+2 Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

Damage is 2d6+d4+2 (1d6 + 2) results: 3 total: 5

Damage is 2d6+d4+2 (1d6) results: 4 total: 4

Damage is 2d6+d4+2 (1d4) results: 2 total: 2

Total = 11

Phoenix rends the shoggoth in half from around her Agent.

Ceiling swarm: 3 shoggoths: [5, 3]+4 Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

From the hole in the ceiling above, shoggoths drop down onto Saint, the one who currently smells the least like their dead kind. Make an opposed athletics roll, Saint.

athletics, opposed!: [2, 2] Result: Failure ❌

The shoggoths bind Saint's limbs and try to drag him to the ground.

Hope opens fire on the shoggoths binding Saint.

Rolled: [9, 2] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

undefined (3d6 + 1) results: 3, 2, 5 total: 11

Rolled: [10 💥 6 = 16, 1] Result: Success with 3 raises! 🎯🎯🎯🎯

undefined (3d6 + 1) results: 6, 1, 2 total: 10

Hope is extremely lucky her bullets only hit shoggoth and not Saint. She kills two of the three shoggoth and shakes the third, though it sill entangles him.

The six shoggoth swarming up from the basement split up, half the mass piling on the entangled Saint and the other half break away, each one lashing at the three remaining attackers.

3 more shoggoths piling on Saint: [5, 4]+5 Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

Saint, roll opposed athletics at a -2 for still being entangled

Lash out at Phoenix: [3, 0] Result: Failure ❌

Lash out at Hope: [4, 0] Result: Success! 🎯

(Doesn't exceed parry)

Lash out at Inara: [1, 0] Result: Failure ❌

(Doesn't exceed Parry)

opposed athletics!: [1, 5]-2 Result: Failure ❌

Saint is Bound by the extra mass of shoggoth

Inara, what do you do?

"They want to take their prey to their lair, right?" Saint asks, voice relaxed despite his failed attempts to see if he can pull his limbs free. "This is fine."

deflection: [1, 5] Result: Success! 🎯

I'm still thinking about how to answer Saint's question without sounding arrogant when thunderous gunfire rips through the air. The scene flips from quiet to mid-fight before I can blink. Nine -- no, eleven shoggoths. They're in the basement, on the ceiling, by the door. Most of them go after Saint and Phoenix, but one flings itself my way and I step aside, grinning as it's tendrils slip past me in an invigorating rush of air.

Fingers touching, folded palms, rotate twice. A tiny ball of golden light appears between my palms as they pull apart. I flick my hands wide in Karla Three and the Hermetic mantle swells into a spherical net just barely bigger than me. -2 to incoming melee attacks

Saint might think it's 'fine' to have three shoggoths wrapped around him, but I have no intention of ending up as shoggoth building material.

Inara: Jack ♥︎
Phoenix: 10 ♦︎
CeilingSwarm: 9 ♦︎
Hope: 8 ♥︎
BasementSwarm: 8 ♦︎
Saint: 6 ♣︎
DoorSwarm: 3 ♥︎```

sunfire: [6, 3] Result: Success! 🎯

undefined (2d6) results: 3, 6 total: 9

I'm already moving onto the next spell, twisting my hands together in a Sunfire lace. The beam stabs out and straight into the shoggoth that just attacked me.

The shoggoth dies in a blaze of sunlight.

Phoenix attack: [6 💥 3 = 9, 6 💥 2 = 8] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

(2d6+1d4+2) (2d6 + 2) results: 1, 3 total: 6

(2d6+1d4+2) (1d4) results: 4 total: 4

Total: 10

Phoenix grasps the tentacles that tried to lash her and rips them from the shoggoth by kicking its main body into a wall. In only a span of a second it is an oozing heap.

The last member of the ceiling swam attempt to recover from its shakiness: [4, 0] Result: Success! 🎯

Hope's turn

Into the ceiling shoggoth: [8, 2] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

undefined (3d6 + 1) results: 1, 3, 2 total: 7

Finishing it off: [3, 2] Result: Failure ❌

benny

Rolled: [5, 3] Result: Success! 🎯

undefined (2d6 + 1) results: 6, 6 total: 13

The last of the swarm from the ceiling is dead.

From the basement swarm, three are binding Saint and one is still trying to attack Hope.

Opposed Strength check to Crush Saint: [3, 4]+2 Result: Success! 🎯

Saint, roll to resist being crushed at a -4

Resist Crush. Ow.: [2, 1]-4 Result: Failure ❌

The shoggoth are builders and burrowers; stone skin is not as an effective deterrent as it is for most monsters. The shoggoth ooze a ready-made enzyme that softens stone back to flesh. They tear into their attacker like ants protecting their hive, trying to rend limbs away. Saint, you are shaken and take a wound.

The remaining shoggoth lashes out at Hope: [6 💥 3 = 9, 0] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

Damage from lashing tentacle (2d6) results: 4, 4 total: 8

The shoggoth's flailing limbs glance off the stony protection wrapped around Hope, impacting, but not dealing enough damage to shake her.

Saint, what do you do?

Roll to become Unshaken: [3, 2] Result: Failure ❌

Saint's expression twists in a grimace. "... nope."

Spend a benny to become unshaken.

Saint Athletics: [8 💥 7 = 15, 6 💥 2 = 8]-3 Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

Shoggoth Athletics: [1, 6 💥 3 = 9]+6 Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

Saint: 12, Shoggoths: 15

Saint is unable to break free.

The last shoggoth of the "door swarm" attacks Phoenix

Shoggoth attacking Phoenix: [3, 0] Result: Failure ❌

It's unable to land a blow.

Initiative Order:
Hope: Ace ♠︎
DoorSwarm(1): Jack ♣︎
Inara: 9 ♣︎
Saint: 3 ♠︎
BasementSwarm(4): 2 ♠︎
Phoenix: 2 ♥︎```

Hope, you're up

Firing on the last of the swarm attacking Phoenix: [4, 5] Result: Success! 🎯

undefined (2d6 + 1) results: 5, 1 total: 7

Finishing it off: [4, 4] Result: Success! 🎯

undefined (2d6 + 1) results: 6, 4 total: 11

Once again, a shoggoth takes two shots to kill. Annoying. "These things are weirdly tough for their size!"

The last of the “door swarm” is dead. Inara’s turn

sunfire: [9, 1] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

undefined (3d6) results: 5, 1, 2 total: 8

Saint Athletics: [4, 6 💥 2 = 8]-3 Result: Success! 🎯

The last shoggoth that isn’t dogpiling Saint is burned from Inara’s sun fire, but is not dead yet.

Shoggoth Athletics: [7, 6 💥 2 = 8]+6 Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

Saint struggles, but is unable to break free.

Shoggoths Crush Saint: [5, 4]+2 Result: Success! 🎯

Saint, roll opposed strength check. Target: 7

resist crush: [6, 1]-5 Result: Failure ❌

damage (2d6) results: 2, 5 total: 7

The shoggoth try to root into Saint’s stone flesh, mycelial tendrils digging in where their acid has weakened, but the stone they seek weaknesses in is Living, and made of more enduring stuff than mere rock.

Saint tanks the damage because it was less than his toughness.

Rolled: [3, 5]+2 Result: Success! 🎯

damage (1d6 + 2) results: 2 total: 4

undefined (1d4) results: 4 total: 4

Sum:8

Phoenix shakes one of the shoggoths

__Initiative Order:__
**Phoenix:** Ace ♥︎
**Hope:** King ♠︎
**Saint:** 10 ♠︎
**BasementSwarm(4(2shaken)):** 3 ♦︎
**Inara:** 2 ♠︎```

Phoenix attacks again: [3, 1]+2 Result: Success! 🎯

damage (1d6 + 2) results: 1 total: 3

undefined (1d4) results: 3 total: 3

Total:6

It takes more time than she would like, but she finally pries off and kills one of the shoggoth binding Saint.

Two whole shoggoth binding Saint, and one shaken shoggoth remain.

Hope, you’re up

Finishing the wounded shoggoth: [3, 1] Result: Failure ❌

Finishing the wounded shoggoth(benny): [6, 6 💥 3 = 9] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

undefined (3d6 + 1) results: 3, 6, 6 total: 16

Second shot into another shoggoth: [3, 1] Result: Failure ❌

Second shot into another shoggoth(benny): [4, 6 💥 6 💥 4 = 16] Result: Success with 3 raises! 🎯🎯🎯🎯

undefined (3d6 + 1) results: 5, 2, 5 total: 13

Two more shoggoth fall to Hope’s bullets. One shoggoth remains

Saint Athletics: [2, 3]-3 Result: Failure ❌

last shoggoth holds on tight: [3, 0]+4 Result: Success! 🎯

The last shoggoth has used its ability to shape its form to its upmost. It’s a net of sinew and muscle that allows no leverage against it.

opposed strength check crush: [3, 0] Result: Failure ❌

It can’t get the same leverage on its prey now that its fellows are dead.

Inara’s turn

sunfire: [10 💥 1 = 11, 3] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

undefined (3d6) results: 2, 4, 3 total: 9

That’s enough to just barely kill it. How do you deliver the killing blow of this encounter?

My fingers flip gracefully and a beam of blazing gold lances out, slicing straight through the last shoggoth's heart. It emits a hideous scream and slumps off Saint, writhing on the ground. A deep silence descends, punctuated only by the the drip-drip-drip of shoggoth ichor and the distant whisper of wind through the abandoned house's rotting eaves.

I shift my stance, relaxing slightly as I glance at the others — Hope, ever impassive; Saint, gasping for breath; Phoenix, eyes darting from corner to corner. Each of them wears victory in the streaks and spatters of ichor across their skin. My eyes slip shut as I draw in a deep breath, savoring the pungent scent of gunpowder mingled with the charred reek of alien flesh. Invigorating. This is what I was born for. To face the hordes of darkness, cut them down, and stand above their broken bodies.

"Well," I say, unable to stop a grin from spreading across my face. My tone isn't quite right, warm camaraderie undercut by sadistic anticipation. But Alric isn't here. Why shouldn't I enjoy myself? "That was fun. Shall we continue?"

As Hope is bringing her guns to bear on the last target, it dies in fire. As the hail of gunfire finally ends, Hope's face suddenly has expressions again. "Seven points for Hope!" she cheerfully announces through the team's ringing ears while swiftly reloading. "Those armor spells were great too, though." she hastily adds. "If Saint is okay, I'm good to keep going."

heal saint: [4, 2] Result: Success! 🎯

Saint's teeth are bared in a grimace, the fallen shoggoth no longer concealing the way the black marble armor of his skin is melted away in patches that reveal glowing ruby facets of muscle. "Hey, next time, warn me about the acid spit? Iron Teeth, that shit packs a punch."

He shakes himself and flexes his fingers, the brass knuckles on his hands extending to cover his fingers like metal claws. "Yeah. I'm good to keep going."

And there goes the moment. I give Hope a politely disapproving smile before inspecting Saint. He looks, well, not good. The gashes and wounds are bad enough, but the exposed muscle doesn't even look human. Half-elemental? He looks so ordinary too — fucking nonhumans. It's so hard to tell with some of them. At least shifters have the grace to flaunt their monstrosity.

I almost shrug and let his comment pass unchallenged. If he keels over mid-fight, well, that's one less monster in the world. But if I go in here and come out with one less 'hero', Alric's liable to pitch a fit. Probably blame me for it too.

I approach and touch Saint's arm with one hand, gesturing with the other. Sparks of gold flow from my fingertips and dance across his body, targeting the injuries and plunging into them. Torn flesh regrows, glowing edges knitting back together. The loss of mana is equally sharp, chewing through a quarter of my remaining pool before halting.

"There," I say, careful to keep any trace of resentment from my voice. "Now you're good to keep going."

Saint blinks at Inara, looking surprised. "Oh. You didn't need to do that. One good hit with these and I'll be back to top shape." He raises one hand, showing off the metal claws overlaying his fingers.

I give him a delicate smile that perfectly straddles the line between politeness and contempt. "And how many hits did you get in this time, hmm?"

"How many landed on you?" He smiles, still relaxed, then chuckles. "My job is to get between you and the things trying to kill you, that's why I'm walking in front. Taking damage is an expected part of the job, especially if it keeps the rest of you intact. Right now, I'm your Guardian."

The sheer arrogance of this half-man, thinking that the only reason I was unharmed was because of him. "Well, try to avoid dying while doing it. That's all I ask."

Phoenix watches the interaction between her employee and her friend cooly. “I can provide healing too, if necessary.” She says. “Are we ready to continue? Let’s descend to the basement.”

"I wouldn't have survived this long if I was willing to die just because something wanted me to," Saint says with a quiet laugh, before smiling fondly at Phoenix. "Of course. Heading in."

He starts walking.

I follow Saint.

"How do your claws heal you? Seems very useful" Hope says as she follows Saint deeper in.

"They're enchanted," he explains. "Same reason they can adjust their form to match how I'm fighting. Cost a few favors to get the necessary pieces, but they're useful."

He casts a glance over his shoulder. "I've got a shotgun with me, but if I'm with a group and staying up front in order to get things to come after me it's usually a lot more practical to use these."

Smite.: [3, 5] Result: Success! 🎯

He pauses for a moment, just long enough to make sure he's considering the weapons he's seen in active use, then offers Hope another smile the ends of his metal claws turn ruby-red - as do Phoenix's. ".... hunt should be a bit easier, now. You'll be able to do a bit more damage, so hopefully you'll only need one bullet each from here.."

If Hope checks her ammunition, each gun now has one magazine worth of bullets that gleam with a ruby red sheen.

Magic? Maybe he's not a hybrid after all.

You could take a look, Vesper suggests.

This again. With half my mana gone before we've even entered the hive proper? No.

Hope does indeed curiously press-check, and check the magazines, and see that both guns have shining red bullets. "I have questions about how the magic manages to target each individual bullet without you even having line of sight on them. How long does this last?"

Saint blinks, like he wasn't expecting the question, then smiles. "They're within my range - with my protection upon you, it's easier to provide more assistance, but the magic it's built off of is.... sympathetically connected. The actual targets are each of your guns, and the connection I can draw between them and their magazines allows the contents to be enhanced."

"You don't need to worry about duration. Because I'm a -" He opens his mouth and the words audibly catch in his throat before he pauses and sighs. "You'll run out of enhanced ammunition long before the effect ends, and the armor will be maintained on all of you until we're done for the day - the Protection I offer will not falter. If, for example, I were to offer you access to the ability to provide the same enhancement to yourself or others, it would last just a bit longer than our last skirmish."

“I would appreciate you refrain from poaching my people until after the mission is done, Saint.” Phoenix says, humor in her voice.

"We can share," he grins. "I support double-dipping."

"You run a monster hunting crew as well, then?" I ask. "I thought you had an air of professionalism about you."

"I sponsor a few, yes," Saint smiles. "I participate when I can, in addition to going on hunts to maintain the local supernatural ecology at a sustainable level and look into anomalies, like the one I invited Hope on. I have a lot of... responsibilities that call me to different places. I've had to delegate when there have been too many calls for help at the same time."

The group reaches the basement. Phoenix turns on a lantern at her belt to push back the darkness. The smell of strange animal is more powerful down here where the wind can’t disperse it. Still, there is a faint draft drifting down the staircase with the hunters.

The room at the foot of the stairs is made of stone. Mouldering furnishings and rubble are pushed to the corners of the room while a cleared path cuts through from the stairs to a doorway to the next room — from which echo rustling sounds of shifting tentacles.

Saint checks that the others are ready, then heads forward, ready to strike as soon as he's in range of a target.

The team approaches the doorway, Phoenix's lantern light falls on a room thickly packed with shoggoths. One on top of another, they seem to meld into one solid mass of otherworldly creature. Countless eyes constrict in the light and the mass surges to the doorway.

Saint, spend your hold to attack in a surprise round

First Attack: [1, 2] Result: Failure ❌

Off-hand: [1, 4]-2 Result: Failure ❌

Saint plants himself in the doorway, preventing the pile of shoggoth from pouring through the door. Two swipes of his claws gets the mass to flinch back, but fails to find purchase.

Initiative Order:
VoltronShoggoth: Queen ♦︎
Hope: 9 ♥︎
Inara: 8 ♣︎
Phoenix: 5 ♦︎
Saint: 4 ♦︎```

Grapple: [10, 2]+2 Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

Roll opposed athletics

opposed athletics: [7, 4] Result: Success! 🎯

Like a tide receding before swelling up and crashing down, the shoggoths overwhelm Saint. A tide of tendrils and muscles and silk swallows the Guardian. Binding him.

Hope, what do you do?

Can Hope still see enough of Saint to avoid hitting him?

Black and ruby marble is visible. Unless things go terribly wrong, Hope should be able to shoot shoggoth flesh that doesn't have Saint within it.

Then Hope will try out the shiny bullets!

shot 1: [9, 2] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

undefined (3d6 + 1) results: 3, 3, 3 total: 10

+2 from smite

shot 2: [5, 1] Result: Success! 🎯

including smite (2d6 + 3) results: 1, 5 total: 9

The shock of the first impact ripples through the mass of shoggoth, and the second impact seems to burst a vital organ. A teacup-shoggoth-sized mass of dead flesh sloughs of from the greater shoggoth.

Inara, what do you do?

sunfire: [4, 5] Result: Success! 🎯

undefined (2d6) results: 3, 2 total: 5

The ray of plasma pierces the shoggoth, but seems less effective than it was earlier. The path of the lance illuminates the interior of the flesh it passes through with dazzling subsurface scattering, but it fails to burn.

Phoenix used Scratch: [5, 6 💥 4 = 10] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

Str+d4+2+raise bonus (2d6 + 2) results: 1, 5 total: 8

Str+d4+2+raise bonus (1d4) results: 3 total: 3

Total: 11

Phoenix excavates a chunk of shoggoth off of Saint.

Saint, roll opposed Athletics to attempt to break free

/swroll trait:8 wild_die:true comment:opposed athletics

The Voltron Shoggoth maintains the grapple: [6, 2]+2 Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

opposed athletics: [5, 6 💥 5 = 11] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

Saint is now Entangled instead of Bound```

Initiative Order:
Inara: King ♦︎
Saint: Jack ♦︎
UmbralShoggoth: 9 ♣︎
Phoenix: 7 ♠︎
Hope: 2 ♦︎```

What do you do?

sunfire: [5, 2] Result: Success! 🎯

undefined (2d6) results: 6, 3 total: 9

This lance flares brighter and burns deeper than the last lance, actually burning the shoggoth this time and adding the smell of cooked meat to the miasma of pungent odors.

Saint, your move. Remember you are still Entangled, so rolls are made with a -2 modifier.

First attack: [7, 4]-2 Result: Success! 🎯

Target to hit (parry) is actually 6, so attack misses

Second attack: [2, 4]-4 Result: Failure ❌

It's hard to gain enough leverage against a mass of shifting tentacles to get a good solid hit in when the tentacles are also twisted up around you, resisting every move you make.

Phoenix has gotten within melee distance to claw at the Shoggoth, now it snaps forward like a frog's tongue to try to catch her.

Shoggoth Grapple: [3, 1]-1 Result: Failure ❌

Phoenix Athletics: [4, 3] Result: Success! 🎯

Phoenix dances out of the way.

The Shoggoth mass still has Saint in its clutches, and tentacles oozing acid and growing teeth and claws tear into the captured intruder.

Damage (4d6) results: 4, 4, 1, 2 total: 11

Saint proves to be much tougher nut to crack than the Shoggoth can chew.

Phoenix skips back into range to deliver another strike with her talons.

Phoenix used Quick Attack: [6 💥 6 💥 1 = 13, 1] Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

Damage = 2d6+1d4+4 (2d6 + 4) results: 4, 6 total: 14

Exploading damage (1d6) results: 3 total: 3

Damage = 2d6+1d4+4 (1d4) results: 3 total: 3

Total: 20

Her ruby talons shred through a core of shoggoth flesh as she carves Saint from the mass.

The large conglomerate of shoggoths split and coalesce into two masses. The charred and damaged flesh is rotated inward as fresh tentacles are exposed to the surface.

One of the masses is still inside the room it started in.

The other is in between the melee attackers and the ranged attackers.

Your turn, what do you do?

Hope fires into the closer blob, point-blank.

shot 1: [3, 6 💥 1 = 7] Result: Success! 🎯

shiny bullet! (2d6 + 3) results: 6, 6 total: 15

shiny bullet exploding! (2d6) results: 6, 3 total: 9

shiny bullet exploding more! (1d6) results: 6 total: 6

and more... (1d6) results: 4 total: 4

shot 1: total damage 34

The mass of shoggoth is split through by Hope's enchanted bullet. It sloughs off the flesh damaged by the shockwave of the bullet and forms into two smaller clusters.

shot 2, into a smaller blob: [8, 3] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

undefined (3d6 + 3) results: 1, 3, 3 total: 10

The smaller mass is still the size of maybe a half dozen teacups piled together. Hope's second shot shakes one, causing it to stop in its tracks to absorb the damage done. Antumbral Shoggoth 1 shaken

Initiative Order:
Phoenix: Ace ♠︎
Hope: 10 ♦︎
Inara: 7 ♣︎
PenumbralShoggoth: 6 ♦︎
AntumbralShoggoth1: 4 ♥︎
Saint: 3 ♥︎
AntumbralShoggoth2: 3 ♦︎```

Phoenix turns pivots to attack the mass of shoggoth Hope just shook.

Phoenix used Pursuit: [5, 6 💥 1 = 7] Result: Success! 🎯

Damage = 1d6+1d4+4 (1d6 + 4) results: 4 total: 8

Damage = 1d6+1d4+4 (1d4) results: 4 total: 4

Total: 12

Phoenix takes out two big chunks of the shoggoth while it is still shaken from Hope's attack.

Hope's turn again

finish the blob?: [9, 6 💥 4 = 10] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

undefined (3d6 + 3) results: 2, 4, 2 total: 11

When Hope's shot hits the injured shoggoth, it spits into four teacup shoggoths which scramble and writhe to flee from Hope.

Firing on the second smaller mass: [4, 6 💥 2 = 8] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

undefined (3d6 + 3) results: 4, 6, 1 total: 14

explode (1d6) results: 5 total: 5

total 19

The second mass is wounded, ichor dripping as it stills and tries to knit itself back together.

You're up.

sunfire (teacup): [3, 4] Result: Success! 🎯

undefined (2d6) results: 6, 3 total: 9

One of the scampering teacup shoggoths is burned to a crisp by Inara's sunfire lance.

The large mass of shoggoths still in the starting room surges forward, flowing up the walls and around saint to flail at everyone in the room.

Damage to Saint (2d6) results: 3, 5 total: 8

Damage to Phoenix (2d6) results: 4, 2 total: 6

Damage to Hope (2d6) results: 4, 6 total: 10

Explosion on damage to hope (1d6) results: 2 total: 2

Total damage to Hope: 12

Damage to Inara (2d6) results: 5, 6 total: 11

Exposion on damage to Inara (1d6) results: 2 total: 2

Total damage to Inara: 13

Saint and Phoenix can each tank the lashings the swarm gives. Hope and Inara are both shaken by the sudden onslaught, though the shadowy armor of Saint's Protection solidifies and protects from wounds.

The three remaining teacup shoggoth round on Hope and attempt to grapple her while the large mass attacks from above.

Grapple 1: [2, 0]+4 Result: Success! 🎯

Grapple 2: [8 💥 1 = 9, 0]+4 Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

Grapple 3: [6, 0]+4 Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

Hope, make 3 athletics rolls

Rolled: [3, 2] Result: Failure ❌

Rolled: [2, 5] Result: Success! 🎯

Rolled: [4, 5] Result: Success! 🎯

2nd grapple -> Hope Bound (+2 for opponents)
3rd grapple -> this little guy is helping too! :hugs:```

Saint, what do you do?

Saint's attention swivels between the threats present before he wheels to attack the largest threat.

First Attack: [2, 2] Result: Failure ❌

Second Attack: [2, 3]-2 Result: Failure ❌

Saint grits his teeth and snaps out an invocation, before surging for another attempted attack. "Luck-Spinner!"

One More Time: [5, 6 💥 3 = 9]+3 Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

2d8+1d6+4, rolling d8s (2d8 + 4) results: 5, 6 total: 15

2d8+1d6+4, rolling d6 (1d6) results: 6 total: 6

explode! (1d6) results: 3 total: 3

24 Total

Saint's ruby claws finally find purchase and seem to catch at a seam that splits the large mass in two like a running snag.

1=Hope, 2=Inara, 3=Phoenix, 4=Saint (1d4) results: 3 total: 3

The extant small swarm of shoggoth gathers around Phoenix, trying to bind her.

Shoggoth Grapple: [6, 4]+2 Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

Phoenix Athletics: [6, 1] Result: Success! 🎯

It entangles her

Damage (1d6) results: 6 total: 6

Damage explode (1d6) results: 2 total: 2

The small swarm gnaws on its entangled intruder, but is unable to impart any serious damage.

Initiative Order:
AntumbralShoggoth2: :black_joker: Joker! Act whenever you want in the round! Also add +2 to all Trait and damage rolls this round!
AntumbralShoggoth3: King ♥︎
Hope: King ♦︎
CollectionOf3Shoggoth: Jack ♠︎
AntumbralShoggoth4: 9 ♣︎
Phoenix: 8 ♣︎
Inara: 6 ♥︎
Saint: 6 ♣︎ (This is payment ♥︎)```

Shoggoth used Crush: [6, 5] Result: Success! 🎯

Forgot the +2 modifier from Joker, so total = 8 = success and raise

Damage = 1d8+1d6+2 (1d8 + 2) results: 7 total: 9

Damage = 1d8+1d6+2 (1d6) results: 6 total: 6

Damage explosion (1d6) results: 5 total: 5

Total = 20

The shoggoth reconfigures and bears down to crush Phoenix. This time it has the leverage to harm her through her layers of protection. She hisses sharply as the shoggoth rends and wrenches at her limbs.

One of the masses recently formed from Saint's unraveling surges around Saint to try to bind him.

AntumbralShoggoth3 uses Snare: [5, 5]+2 Result: Success! 🎯

Opposed Athletics: [8 💥 1 = 9, 6 💥 5 = 11] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

Saint manages to keep from being entangled.

Damage field (1d6) results: 4 total: 4

The shoggoth imparts only surface scrapes to Saint.

Hope, roll Athletics with a -2 to try to escape your Bindings

Rolled: [1, 5]-2 Result: Failure ❌

The three teacups binding Hope constrict their holds.

1st Teacup squeeze: [3, 0]+6 Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

1st Teacup damage (2d6+2) (2d6 + 2) results: 2, 4 total: 8

Does not exceed Hope's toughness

2nd Teacup squeeze: [1, 0]+6 Result: Success! 🎯

2nd Teacup damage (1d6+2) (1d6 + 2) results: 1 total: 3

Does not exceed Hope's toughness

3rd Teacup squeeze: [3, 0]+6 Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

3rd Teacup damage (2d6+2) (2d6 + 2) results: 6, 3 total: 11

Damage explosion (1d6) results: 2 total: 2

Oops, I forgot to call for a Spirit roll at Hope's last turn to unshake

spirit: [4 💥 4 💥 4 💥 2 = 14, 4] Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

The tugging and tearing of the binding teacup shoggoths reShakes Hope, but she is not yet wounded.

The free small swarm of shoggoths goes after the intruder yet uncontested.

AntumbralShoggoth4 attempts to grapple Inara: [8 💥 3 = 11, 5]+2 Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

Inara, roll opposed Athletics

aaaaaa: [4 💥 3 = 7, 6 💥 5 = 11] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

Inara is Entangled!

Phoenix slashes at the shoggoth entangling her: [5, 1]-2 Result: Failure ❌

Phoenix fails to damage the shoggoth mass entangling her.

Inara’s turn

sunfire (entangled shoggoth): [1, 6 💥 4 = 10]-2 Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

undefined (3d6) results: 4, 3, 1 total: 8

The Shoggoth entangling Inara is shaken by her magic.

Saint’s turn

Saint's attention turns to the shoggoths entangling Hope.

first swipe: [5, 5] Result: Success! 🎯

(2d8)+1d6+(4) (2d8 + 4) results: 3, 1 total: 8

and the 1d6 (1d6) results: 6 total: 6

explosion! (1d6) results: 1 total: 1

melee slash 1: total 15

second swipe: [5, 2]-2 Result: Failure ❌

second swipe doesn't hit

Saint kills one of the three shoggoths binding Hope. Two remain.

__Initiative Order:__
**Phoenix:** :black_joker: Joker! Act whenever you want in the round! Also add +2 to all Trait and damage rolls this round!
**Inara:** Ace ♦︎
**Hope:** 10 ♥︎
**AntumbralShoggoth2:** 10 ♦︎
**Saint:** 9 ♦︎
**AntumbralShoggoth3:** 4 ♠︎
**AntumbralShoggoth4:** 3 ♣︎
**2TeacupShoggoths:** 2 ♦︎```

Spirit roll to unshake: [6, 5]+1 Result: Success! 🎯

Phoenix attacks the shoggoth entangling her: [1, 3]-1 Result: Failure ❌

Inara, your turn

sunfire entangling shoggoth: [9, 6 💥 5 = 11]-2 Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

undefined (3d6) results: 4, 3, 6 total: 13

explode (1d6) results: 2 total: 2

Inara's lance strikes deep into the bulk of the shoggoth. Ichor boils on contact, but the mass of shoggoth entangling her hold on.

Hope's turn

Hope tries to break free from the shoggoths' iron grip.

Rolled: [1, 4]-2 Result: Failure ❌

The shoggoth entangling Phoenix attempts to strengthen its hold: [3, 1]+2 Result: Success! 🎯

Phoenix resists the grapple: [3, 4]-3 Result: Failure ❌

Phoenix is Bound tighter

Saint’s up

Saint's gaze snaps to Phoenix for a moment, but he focuses back in on the two shoggoths binding Hope.

/swroll trait:8 wild_die:true comment:first swipe

first swipe: [5, 5] Result: Success! 🎯

d8s and modifier (2d8 + 4) results: 8, 8 total: 20

undefined (1d6) results: 4 total: 4

explode (2d8) results: 7, 3 total: 10

Swipe 1 Total Damage: 34

One of the two shoggoth binding Hope is cut into gory ribbons. Hope is now Entangled instead of Bound.

second swipe: [2, 2]-2 Result: Failure ❌

Antumbral3 grapples Saint (roll opposed athletics): [4, 2]+2 Result: Success! 🎯

Opposed Athletics: [3, 2] Result: Failure ❌

Saint is now entangled by the shoggoth.

Antumbral4 spirit roll to unshake: [2, 5] Result: Success! 🎯

The shoggoth already entangling Inara attempts to bind her tighter (so she doesn't make the ouchy light again): [2, 3]+2 Result: Success! 🎯

Inara, please roll an athletics check

Forgot Antumbral2's damage field

Antumbral2's damage field: [3, 0] Result: Failure ❌

Antumbral3's damage field (entangling Saint): [4, 0] Result: Success! 🎯

Inara can still try to resist the tighter grapple. Then the damage field should hit

athletic: [4 💥 3 = 7, 2]-2 Result: Success! 🎯

Antumbral4 Fails to bind Inara. Inara is still entangled.

Antumbral 4's damage field: [1, 0] Result: Failure ❌

Fails to shake or wound

The last teacup shoggoth entangling Hope tries to crush her.

teacup squeeze: [6 💥 3 = 9, 0] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

Hope, make an opposed strength roll

Rolled: [4, 6 💥 1 = 7] Result: Success! 🎯

2d6 damage roll: [5, 4] Result: Success! 🎯

Fails to do damage

Round 6 Now, with the intruders all entangled, the shoggoths start dragging everyone together, merging once again into a larger creature. From the room where the Dawn Commission first found it, reinforcements pour forth, dragging away the dead flesh and reinforcing the large mass holding the party. Other shoggoth drop down from holes in the rotted ceiling. Phoenix, who was bound the tightest before the shoggoths started to merge once again, is completely swallowed by the shifting mass. And with it, her lantern: the party's only source of light. The basement is thrown into darkness, lit only by the dull glow of Phoenix's swallowed lantern, Inara's softly luminescing highlights in her hair, and the meager light filtering in from the moldering layers of building above. Dark Illumination. -4 to attacks and actions that require sight.

Initiative Order:
Hope: King ♠︎
Saint: King ♥︎
ReumbralShoggoth: 9 ♣︎
Phoenix: 2 ♠︎
Inara: 2 ♥︎```

Hope, what do you do?

Break grapple: [6 💥 4 = 10, 2] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

Opposed grapple roll (including +2 modifyer from Hope being entangled): [8, 4]+4 Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

Unfortunately, the reinforcements arrived just before Hope could work herself free. The fresh shoggoths ensnare her with renewed vigor.

Saint, you're up.

first swipe: [7, 5]-2 Result: Success! 🎯

The shoggoth parries. Saints claws glance across slick chitinous hide.

second swipe: [8 💥 6 = 14, 2]-4 Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

That one hits

damage part 1 (2d8 + 4) results: 4, 7 total: 15

the sequel to damage (1d6) results: 5 total: 5

20 total

The freshly formed shoggoth shudders from Saint's blows

The Reumbral unshakes: [9, 3]+2 Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

The reinforced shoggoth nest guardian attempts to secure its grasp on everyone it has entangled.

Grapple against Hope: [1, 5]+2 Result: Success! 🎯

Grapple against Saint: [8, 1]+2 Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

Grapple against Inara: [5, 2]+2 Result: Success! 🎯

Hope, Saint, Inara, please each make an athletics check against the above. Remember you are all at a -2 from being entangled. Darkness doesn't hinder you for this roll.

-2: [2, 6 💥 3 = 9] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

opposed athletics: [3, 6 💥 2 = 8]-2 Result: Success! 🎯

Both shoggoth and Inara got 7. Attacker wins on ties, Inara is Bound

Saint is Bound

athletics: [1, 3]-2 Result: Failure ❌

Hope is Bound

With all the intruders bound, the shoggoth stills and turns its energy to digesting its catch

Damage. Acid bypasses armor. (4d6 + 2) results: 6, 1, 6, 5 total: 20

Explosion (2d6) results: 5, 4 total: 9

- Hope (Toughness 12) -> 17 damage spillover -> incapacitated
- Inara (Toughness 10) -> 19 damage spillover -> incapacitated
- Phoenix (Toughness 13 + 1 wound) -> 16 spillover -> incapacitated
- Saint (Toughness 12) -> 17 damage spillover -> 4 wounds and shaken```

`Everyone, now is your chance to spend bennies to make soak rolls to mitigate wounds.`

Spending a benny for a soak Roll: [9, 5] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

soak: [4 💥 1 = 5, 4] Result: Success! 🎯

Saint -> 2 wounds and shaken

Inara -> 3 wounds and shaken

Phoenix soak: [1, 6 💥 2 = 8]-1 Result: Success! 🎯

Soak: [2, 2] Result: Failure ❌

benny

Phoenix incapacitated

Soak2: [1, 2] Result: Failure ❌

Hope -> still incapacitated

Iron Teeth, that's a little too much. I need all of you to be hurt enough to think twice before you run off, not useless to me - hold on, which threads do I need to pull..

Oh, good, you've tried to call my number a few times, haven't you, Hope?