Trollslum Act 2: Under siege by planet Jupiter

[mauve]

>[S] Go see what Gorrma is up to.

You are now GORRMAYou are now GORRMA.

You stare at the scene before you in a sort of numbed haze. You were too late. The cooking apparatus has released its fury upon your KITCHEN BLOCK. The room and everything in it is a complete loss. Even... Oh no.


You continue to stare at the solitary figure lying motionless on the floor.

Nommington hadn’t stood a chance.


> That sure is some crappily-drawn fire. And shouldn’t the blast have thrown the goat-thing across the room? And the oven door too, for that matter?

Command invalid. Please try again.


>Look around.

The room is on fire. The FLAMES are growing steadily larger, licking at the walls and ceiling. You don’t have much time before the entire KITCHEN BLOCK is consumed. What do you do?


>Quick! Open a window and call for help!

You don’t see any WINDOWS. There are no WINDOWS here.


>Run into the hallway and find a window.

There are no WINDOWS here either.


> FIND A WINDOW SOMEWHERE.> FIND A WINDOW SOMEWHERE.


THERE ARE NO WINDOWS. You live UNDERGROUND. What part of "SUBTERRANEAN KITCHEN HIVE" don’t you understand?!?


> Go save Nommington.

You carefully push your way through the burning room, trying to get as close to your lusus as possible. That’s not easy.

It’s far too late to do anything for the old goat. You know that. By the looks of things, Nommington didn’t even get a chance to wake up from his nap before it was all over.

But that doesn’t stop you from trying.

Show Lususlog

OO: nommington?
OO: ...
OO: come on, you have to get out of here.
OO: ...
OO: nommington we have to go

It’s no use. You can’t even get close enough to him to carry him out of here.

But you might be able to CAPTACHLOGUE him.


> Captachlogue the dead goat-critter

You can’t leave him here. You have to.. take him with you, at least. This was never supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to...

Show Lususlog

OO: nommington…
OO: you can’t leave me alone here now
OO: i
OO: ...

You stop. The flames are getting closer.

Show Lususlog

OO: nommie
OO: i can’t become a famoush gourmancer
OO: if you aren’t there to cheer me on...

The light and smoke from the flames are stinging your eyes. It’s too bright. You can’t stay in here much longer.


> Enough with the drama! Captachlogue the freakin’ thing already!> Enough with the drama! Captachlogue the freakin’ thing already!

Nommington goes into your CHEF MODUS SYLLADEX. A ghostly RECIPE CARD appears, as Nommington goes into the ingredients bin as...

...

You know, you really don’t want to finish that sentence. You’re mentally scarred enough from this incident as it is.

The FLAMES are getting higher. It’s time to leave; shut the door behind you and let the fire burn itself out. There’s no other way.



You have everything that’s important, anyway.


> Gorrma: Eat burning cabinets.

No thanks. Suddenly... you’re not hungry.


====>

You find yourself wandering back to your HUSKTOP

You feel empty. Alone. Directionless.

You need to .. talk to someone. Yes. That idea pops into your head, and in your numbed state of mind, makes sense somehow.

There must be someone who knows what you’re going through. Someone who can help you in your time of need. Someone who knows what it’s like to lose a lusus long before its time.

But who?


>Troll Ballaa>Troll Ballaa

Troll SHARL? Are you sure?

> ...what? No. Troll BALLAA.

Okay, if you say so. You decide to TROLL SHARL.

> I didn’t say--

He’s not answering.

You send another message. He’s still not answering.

Where is he? What could he possibly be doing that’s so important he ignores a friend in need? What the heck, Sharl?!?



He’s probably off counting bottles of Medicinal Syrups of Questionable Origin or something stupid like that. And meanwhile you’re over here suffering over the loss your dearest friend.


====>

You feel completely alone.

You... don't know what to do.You... don’t know what to do.


What do you do when you lose something important?What do you do when you lose something important?


When you have to make a horrible choice?
When you have to make a horrible choice?


When you have to take a responsibility you never wanted?When you have to take a responsibility you never wanted?


When it hits you...
Everything that’s happened...
Was all your fault?Was all your fault?



What do you do?What do you do?



> Be someone less depressing.