[PUNCH CLOCK ANIMAL] MAYBEQUEST: PART 1

[skinstealer]

 

MAYBEQUEST
PART 1
This is a continuation off of a quest run on questden/tgchan from 2016-2019! To catch up to where we're currently at, please refer to the mirror.

This project is rated 18+ for mature content, and contains heavy gore, sexual content, extreme body horror, child abuse/death, violence, ritual abuse, parental abuse, cannibalism, emetophobia, sexual abuse, torture, depictions of severe trauma, and unreality. As such, it is inappropriate for minors, and it is recommended that you only engage with this comic if you're okay with seeing some heavy shit and are in a good mental space for it. Stay safe, and take care of yourself first.

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MAY: Uh, what do you...do, exactly?
MAY: Like obviously you’re a doctor and do doctor stuff, but what do you do here?
MAY: And what aren’t you sure about?
FULLER: I work in the Research Block, and I keep track of mutations; what works, what doesn’t, and what’s unexpected. 
FULLER: Now that the potential heirs have been determined, we’re re-routing our efforts into other mutation-based projects.
FULLER: God knows Anya has the karacel eggs for it left over- all “donated”, enough to supply whatever nightmarish creations she wants to make next.
FULLER: Not to mention she’s got cloning down by now, growing people in vats and all that. She’s pretty much a genius, but, you know.
MAY: Evil?
FULLER: Very.
FULLER: My work doesn’t have me getting my hands dirty often, but I know more about mutation selection for Devil’s Advocacy and other projects than pretty much anybody else.
FULLER: I’m ready to wash my hands of the whole thing, really. Seen too much that keeps me up at night.

MAY: Can you fight?
MAY: If you had your back to the wall, could you protect the kids?
FULLER: I can run, and that’s going to have to be good enough.
MAY: Better than nothing.

MAY: How do you know all this stuff about money if you’re one of us?
MAY: And like...why do you want to get out now when you could have left whenever?
FULLER: I have some surface contacts. They supply me with books and knowledge of the surface, and I read as much as I can.
FULLER: However, the idea of leaving myself was...daunting.
NELSON: ...but it’s fine to let other people potentially die?
FULLER: Their choice, their risk.

MAY: How long is the trek to Mockery?
FULLER: Bit over 3 hours if you take the main road. 
CHANCE: Are you sure it’s a good idea to take the main road?
FULLER: It’s a little risky, but there’s a great opportunity, if we’re lucky.
DWAYNE: And that is?
FULLER: Hitchhiking.
CHANCE: ...You’re really expecting a vehicle that could carry all of us to drive by? That… seems like a longshot.
FULLER: Supply trucks come back and forth between here and Mockery every day, multiple times a day.
FULLER: We’ll say our car broke down or something. 
DWAYNE: And what if it’s someone from the lab instead?
FULLER: I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but this lab’s got a pretty distinct look to the uniforms.
FULLER: Somebody comes by wearing black and green, we just say we’re on a nature trek or something. 
FULLER: ...and hope they don’t notice the kids in the same colors.
DWAYNE: That’s as good as it’s gonna get, I guess.

MAY: Are these coats gonna be okay for outside?
FULLER: Oh, hell no.
FULLER: I’ve got civilian clothes stashed away in the safe room in as many sizes as I can get my hands on...none for kids though, they’re stuck with the dresses. Sorry.
FULLER: All of it should be fine for the desert. 
MAY: Will they help us blend in? 
FULLER: With the sand? No. With people, and the city? Yes.
FULLER: Trust me, it’d be a huge problem if you walked into the surface lab dressed in stealth gear. People’d get suspicious. 
FULLER: That’s the last thing we need.

MAY: Got any weapons that can hit from a bit away, or are we stuck with shock sticks and my teeth?
FULLER: You don’t want to be walking around with weapons once we hit the surface lab.
FULLER: You’ll be surrounded by civilians here on medical business and the second you startle any of them, we’re in trouble.  

You turn back to your party.

MAY: What about you guys?
MAY: Any questions?

 

Chance steps up.

CHANCE: Suplex asked if you could protect the kids, but I want to know if you would.
CHANCE: If we aren’t here to keep them safe, or if we get split up, would you take care of them? Make sure they get to Mockery unharmed?
FULLER: ...if I say no, I get the feeling you’d kick my ass. 
MAY: Yeah, pretty much.
FULLER: Then yeah, fine. I’d make sure the kids get there.
FULLER: But the second I can find them a situation that’d be able to take care of them better than I could- which isn’t saying a whole lot- I’d be handing them over. 

 
Chance glares, but continues.

CHANCE: What kind of security should we expect at the exits to this place? It’s been a long time since I was outside.
FULLER: Most of the security up top isn’t trained to handle stuff down in this section of the lab, let alone know about it.
FULLER: Once we hit surface, we’ll be able to blend in. And as long as nobody arouses suspicion, we’ll have a clear shot.
FULLER: ...they might send some guys after us, though. That’d be real bad.
FULLER: But with any luck, we won’t have any issue with that.
DWAYNE: Here’s to hoping. 

CHANCE: You’ve spent a lot of time examining the kids here.
CHANCE: Is there anything we should be aware of that might affect them, medically or otherwise? Even just something as simple as allergies.
CHANCE: I want to make sure we can keep them safe.
FULLER: Melanie has severe...memory issues. You might have to repeat things to her, especially if she gets stressed or overly excited. 

Chance drops his volume.

 
CHANCE: I’m aware of that, but it’s good that the others know.

You glance back at Melanie to see if she’s listening, but she’s off in her own world, watching the light of the flashlight bounce around as Fuller walks. 

CHANCE: Is there anything else?
FULLER: Mason can bleed out if wounded, so we’ll want to avoid that or have a lot of bandages handy.

Nelson pats the bag slung over his shoulder.

NELSON: We should be okay. We stocked up when we picked him and Maes up.
FULLER: Good. I’ve got some in the safe room, but more is always better.
FULLER: All of them have hell teeth, also. Good luck figuring out how to clean them.
FULLER: I do not envy the guy who has that job. 
CHANCE: ...I have that job.
FULLER: Ouch.
FULLER: You’ve got a lot more fingers than I would have expected. 
CHANCE: You know, they’d probably be a lot easier for you to handle if you actually treated them like kids.

 
Fuller says nothing, shut up entirely. With the silence quickly becoming awkward, you take the opportunity to bring something else up.

MAY: And, uh, Chance.
MAY: It’s come up before, but...I’m really glad we gave you a shot.
MAY: Maybe the reason wasn’t that great, but you’re a big part of why this is working.
MAY: ...And why I’ve been working on being a better person.
MAY: So...thanks.

 
It’s hard to tell in the dark, but you think you can see Chance tearing up.

CHANCE: I’m… really glad to hear that.
CHANCE: Regardless of the reason, it’s just really nice to find people willing to help, willing to do something about all of this.
CHANCE: You were the one that started this, after all. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be on our way out of here right now. These kids might not have been able to get somewhere safe.
CHANCE: You made that happen, not me.

 
You can just barely see him smiling up at you.

DWAYNE: Speaking of all that…
DWAYNE: What made you decide to do this whole scheme anyway?
DWAYNE: It’s not the first time a maybecat’s tried to bust out, but nobody’s actually managed to get this far, let alone recruit anybody else for their cause.
FULLER: I have to admit I’m curious too. I’ve helped staff get out, but he’s right, none of us have managed to get out before.
NELSON: Oh, you see, we actually-
DWAYNE: Cmon, I wanna hear Sup’s answer. Don’t speak for her.
NELSON: ...got it.

[Lilium Mortem]

At first, It was just like, I didn't have anything to lose. I was going to die anyway, hell probobly am going to die anyway. Then I got to know Nelson, realized most people here are just... well, people. abused, scared, with nothing to live for. If I'm going to get out, I want at least the blameless kids to get out, and a few people who are rightully fucking ashamed of what they've been doing down here.

[1011686]

Just spent too long here, I guess, and obeying the rules to stay alive in that cell no longer seemed worth it, even if that meant possibly dying. Getting people to help along the way just seemed like a good idea, like it would increase the chance of success... But, idk, I think my reasons are different now. Actually being able to help people, trusting people and being trusted in return, that's not something I've had before. I want to keep that, if I can. And I don't think I'll be able to do that while I'm still in this hellhole.

[Thk]

Something clicked and I decided I could keep waiting here to die, or do something and possibly still die, but more on my own terms, rather than the whims of this place.

[skinstealer]

MAY: I just...spent too long here, I guess.
MAY: You spend long enough in this place and you realize you’re going to die no matter what you do, and you’re just waiting for it to happen.
MAY: That kind of thing makes you think that you got nothing to lose by trying to do something. At least then, it’d be on my terms.
MAY: Getting people to help along the way seemed like a good idea, like it’d help me get out of here…
MAY: But then I got to know people, like Chance, Dwayne, Nelson, and the kids, and I realized most people here have been kicked around just as much as I have.
MAY: Just a lot of scared people with nothing to live for.
MAY: And being able to trust people, and being trusted, that’s not something I’ve had before.
MAY: And...I like that.
MAY: I want to keep that, if I can.
MAY: And I don’t think I can do that while I’m still in this hellhole.
MAY: If I’m trying this, I want the kids to make it out, if nothing else. I wanna see the world out there, but those kids need it more. They didn’t do anything to deserve this. 
MAY: It’d be nice if the people running this place got some actual shame for what they’ve been doing too, but getting people out is the main goal.
MAY: Get us a life away from all of this.

DWAYNE: Works for me. 

 
Chance gives you a nod, then a big smile for the kids.

CHANCE: We’re definitely getting you guys out.
CHANCE: No matter what.

 
Nelson looks a little down after your response, but it’s not like you were going to focus on him alone or anything. You’re grateful that he helped get things started, but Chance and Dwayne are just as important to you now, even after only knowing them for a few hours.
...You’re honestly not sure why you’re able to trust them just as easily, but that’s the way you feel, and you’re gonna roll with it. 
 

 
Fuller arrives at a door, barely visible until the flashlight hits it. They fish a key out of their coat pocket and unlock it, gesturing for you all to follow.

The safe room is the size of a fairly large exam room, long since abandoned. Fuller hits a switch as soon as you’re all inside, the overhead lights flickering and buzzing. You take a look around while they lock the door. There’s a lot of cabinets and shelves; some empty and others clearly full. Melanie sneezes from all the dust, Chance helping to wipe her face. Dwayne settles into a chair and exhales hard, exhausted.

FULLER: Don’t get too comfortable. 

They point to a large box in the corner, clothes spilling out of the top.
 

FULLER: It’s messy, but there should be a bit of everything and a lot of sizes.
FULLER: Got some more modern stuff, some traditional wear, you name it. 
FULLER: Just...dig around a bit. If I don’t have anything you like, tough shit, you’re not going outside in lab gear.
FULLER: When you need to change-

  
They point to a folding screen in the corner, creating a little out of sight area. 

FULLER: Go back there.

 
They open a drawer and pick up their own outfit, heading for the screen.

FULLER: I’m getting changed. I’ve already got my outfit picked out, have for a long time now. 
FULLER: Pick up any mess you make.

[full size, for your editing pleasure]
[You may now dress the party up! That includes May, Chance, Dwayne and Nelson. Feel free to draw on these references, make your own drawings, or suggest in text. Multiple outfit suggestions are also fine!

Mockery is a desert city, so clothes worn there would be loose and light. 
It could consist of old-fashioned long, simple clothes that protect from direct sun exposure, such as:
-scarves/wraps
-ponchos
-robes
-tunics
-long skirts
-silks

Or more modern clothing that covers less of the body but is less hot, such as just simple shirts and light pants and skirts.

Anything goes, but try to keep the character and location in mind!]

[1011686]

I have a bunch of piecemeal suggestions, no whole outfits.
Dwayne should have trousers, like these. I think he should also have some kind of vest or jacket, the longer drapier clothing would be awkward for him.


Chance should have a tunic and scarf, I feel like he could really pull one off and look cute in it, which is important.

May can have a poncho, maybe a shawl over the top, I feel like that would fit her. It would also probably help for her and Nelson to get pants of some kind, if they want.

Nelson should have a robe, but not a long one, only one that goes down to the knees (....does nelson have knees i cant actually tell looking at him).

Everyone should also grab a hat if there are any, and some extra scarves or shawls. They will make for decent bandages in a pinch, which might be necessary for Mason. Actually is there a backpack here or something, that'd be great.

[Pichi2214]

I would definitely try to see if we can fit some of the smaller pockit shirts on the kids as a new dress kind of thing
Or one of the ponchos as a big dress. It'd even be okay if it's just temporary, but until we're completely out of the facility, we should disguise them as much as possible
Highest priority would be Mason, if we don't have enough time to dig around the box for all of the kids to find something suitable or if not enough small-ish clothes are in there

Also I think modern-ish clothing (plus maybe the suggested poncho) would suit May better than traditional robes
I could imagine that Chance would look quite cool in the robes though

everyone should definitely get some kind of pants/skirts (i do hope that one of them picks a skirt/dress cause pretty+helps with heat), whatever they're more comfortable with and I second the hats
also clothing that is as light/flowy as possible cause heat

(might edit this later with more suggestions)

[Zenthis]

[victorianflorist]

[MarxzVulpez]

I second giving May a cool poncho, tank top, and cargo jorts

[skinstealer]

 
You head over to the box of clothes and start rifling through, pausing as you find a small shirt and hold it up as best you can with your thumbless paws.
 

MAY: Thought you said there weren’t any kids clothes in here.
FULLER: That? That’s a pockitt shirt. 
FULLER: And it’s still too big.
MAY: Eh, maybe for a tight fit, but I think we can make this work. 

 
Chance steps over to the box and looks over the shirt.
 

CHANCE: Yeah, I think that could work.

 
He rummages through the box and picks out as much smaller-sized clothes as he can, and holds them up to the kids.
 

CHANCE: Here! You guys can go through these and pick out whatever you’d like.
CHANCE: You can go get changed up when you pick something out.

 
For the next couple of minutes, Chance helps the kids pick out one outfit each, all three of them coming out after changing to present their new looks.
 

 
Dwayne picks out a vest and a long skirt, stepping out from behind the screen with a bit of a swish. 
 

DWAYNE: You know, I always wanted to try one of these.
DWAYNE: Director would neeeever let that happen, but now that I’m gonna be free? 
DWAYNE: May as well give it a shot.
CHANCE: Oh, yeah, that looks great!
CHANCE: I think it definitely suits you.
 

 
Chance looks through the box for a while until his face lights up.
 

CHANCE: Oh!

 
He pulls out a tunic-style dress and matching scarf that just so happen to feature colors very close to ones he already sported.
 

CHANCE: Look at that!

 
He holds them up.
 

CHANCE: Looks almost just like me, don’t you think?
DWAYNE: Perfect match!
DWAYNE: Look at you, you’ll practically be a model. 

 
Chance hurries and gets changed before stepping back out in front of the others, wearing his new outfit proudly.
 

 
Nelson’s a little shy after taking his turn, stepping out in what’s definitely the least covering outfit of the group so far. 
 

NELSON: This sort of works…
NELSON: I don’t have to worry about the sun burning me or anything, but the heat gets to me bad, so...something like this would be best, I think.

  
He turns to you, a little smile on his face.
 

NELSON: Am I pulling it off, Sup?
MAY: I don’t really know jack about fashion, not really the person to ask.
NELSON: Yeah, I mean, but- 

 
Fuller steps directly between you two, caught up in their own plans. The outfit they’ve picked is flowing and covered in abstract patterns, and you can’t help but feel like it both suits them perfectly and not at all. 
 

MAY: What’s on the dress?
FULLER: Eh?
FULLER: Oh, you mean-

 
They gesture to the patterns and you nod.
 

FULLER: They’re called gears. You find them in different kinds of machines.
FULLER: Get used to seeing them, Mockery’s full of clockwork. It’s Grind’s whole thing.
FULLER: But that doesn’t matter- you need to hurry up and get changed. Don’t drag your feet.

   

 
Finally, you go through the box yourself. You can’t deny that you waited out of nerves, wanting to see what everyone else picked. Everybody else probably knew this stuff better than you, even Dwayne seemed to have his shit together...and you have no idea what’d suit you. You find some shorts in your size and note the pockets- handy. Looking at most of these shirts makes you feel a little tense, knowing that what little clothes you have worn- the lab’s jumpsuits, primarily- were always way too tight on you. You don’t want that again.
 

MAY: Hey, uh...is there anything that’ll, like…
MAY: Fit me?
DWAYNE: Lemme see.

 
You make room for him to look through. 
 

DWAYNE: What you want is a poncho, I’ve seen them in magazines…
NELSON: The hell did you get magazines from?
DWAYNE: Same place I got my piercings. Secret.

 
He pulls out a large, patterned piece of fabric.
 

DWAYNE: Like this!
DWAYNE: Just put it over your shoulders.
MAY: Guess I can try that…

 
That’s the basics down, you guess...but it doesn’t feel complete yet. Your worries fade when you see one last accessory, realizing what it is after a bit of fiddling. 
 

 
Getting all the clothes on is hell, but you’d rather fumble with everything than ask anybody for help. There’s a tiny mirror in here behind the screen, and you almost startle as you look over yourself- you don’t look half bad, and there’s something kind of...freeing? About wearing clothes that you picked out. 

You step out from behind the screen. Dwayne gives a thumbs up, grinning as he sees the toothy mask. Fuller’s less amused, rolling their eyes. Chance just gives you an encouraging smile.
 

CHANCE: That looks great!
CHANCE: How does it feel picking out and outfit for yourself for the first time?
MAY: Y’know...pretty good. 
MAY: I could get used to this. 
CHANCE: Glad to hear it.

 

  

NELSON: Wow, Sup, you look...really good!
NELSON: If you need any help with any of it, like taking it on or off-
FULLER: Hold up.

 
They step forward, getting directly in Nelson’s blushing face.
 

FULLER: You’re a guard, aren’t you? One of the ones the higher ups jokingly call “interns”?
NELSON: I was before the escape, yes. All of us but Sup were.
FULLER: Mm.
FULLER: You’re talking to her a little too...familiar for my liking.
NELSON: I mean, we’ve known each other forever!
FULLER: Mmmmmmmmm.
FULLER: So you’re saying you had a history, before this escape.
FULLER: What is the nature of this relationship, exactly?

 
Nelson nervously looks at you, and you get the feeling that he wants you to answer instead.

You really don’t want to.

[MattedFont]

Fuller, if you have to ask, then you already have a good idea.
Let's just say that May and Nelson have helped each other find a bit more happiness in this place even before the escape.

[aeshihowl]

Keep quiet. It's none of Fuller's business. All we need to do is spend a few hours travelling together and then she's free of us.

[1011686]

Does it matter right now? This isn't a good time Fuller, and he's coming with us either way. We'll sort it out later.

[skinstealer]

 
You keep quiet, standing in awkward silence, but that only seems to spur Nelson on to speak.
 

NELSON: I think we-

 
As Nelson pipes up, you immediately cut him off, speaking to the both of them at the same time. 
 

MAY: Does this really matter right now? 
FULLER: Yes, as a matter of fact, it-
MAY: It’s none of your f- ...none of your damn business.
FULLER: It’s my business when I have to worry about someone potentially grooming and psychologically damaging any of us, especially us maybecats-
MAY: Not the time for any of this.
MAY: We're going, why don't we just go already?
FULLER: ...fine. 
FULLER: But I don’t want anything to do with him. 

  
Nelson looks more than a little uncomfortable and confused, avoiding eye contact with both you and Fuller. You aren’t sure what to make of Fuller’s comments yourself, but something about it makes your stomach tie up in knots. 

You don’t want to think about them being right. 


 
The party stocks up on supplies, Dwayne and Chance piling up backpacks with more bandages and from the look of it, various kinds of pills. You figure they know what’s in them better than you do. 

People start filing out into the hall, but Nelson approaches as you're standing over one of the boxes.

He gets close and opens his mouth, but Chance steps between you and him, holding a backpack.
  

CHANCE: Hey, Nelson?
 

 
He holds up the pack, unzipping it to show that it was filled with water bottles.
 

CHANCE: Could you take these to the kids and check if any of them are thirsty?
CHANCE: Especially Maes, she was really sick before and I want to make sure she hydrates.

  
Nelson fumbles over his words.
 

NELSON: Oh, I...
NELSON: ...uh...
NELSON: ...Sure thing, Chance.

 
He shoots you a sad look as he takes the pack, but you pretend not to see. Chance waits for him to make it out to the hall, then turns to you.
  

CHANCE: You okay?
MAY: Why wouldn’t I be okay?
CHANCE: You seem pretty shaken up after that.
CHANCE: If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay.
CHANCE: But I’m here, alright?
MAY: ...thanks. I’ll think about it.
MAY: I gotta figure out how I feel about it to begin with. Not like I even know what to say.
CHANCE: That’s okay. Take all the time you need.

  
Chance smiles as he grabs a backpack, and makes his way out into the hall with the others. You follow suit, turning off the light behind you. 
  

  
No one speaks this time, the entire party awkward after Fuller’s outburst. The kids seem to pick up on the tension just as much, keeping close to Chance and Dwayne. Mason looks back at you every so often, and you manage a wave every time.

Without warning, the hallway lights power on.

Fuller’s fur starts standing on end, and Nelson looks like he’s going to be sick. You’re starting to panic as well, but a crash coming from the saferoom behind you gets everyone backing away. 
 

FULLER: ...run.
NELSON: What...what is that?
MAY: What’s what?! What’s happening?
FULLER: Just run, goddamnit!

[Zenthis]

Well, doctors orders, book it!

[aeshihowl]

Oh gods, the monster is coming. Stay calm. Panic will help nobody. Pick up the kids and run. Follow Fuller's orders to the letter - they're our only way out of here alive!

[MattedFont]

Take to your heels, fools!

[1011686]

Time to tail-carry some kids.

[skinstealer]

You’re not about to disobey the Doc’s orders on this one. Now’s not the time for panic, but you need to get out of here, now.
 

MAY: Fucking book it!

 

 
Chance goes for Melanie, swooping down to pick the kid up into his arms. He gives you a glance, and you go for Maes, fumbling a little at first with no thumbs to grip onto anything- you have a fleeting thought about how light she is, but you don’t have time to dwell on it. Mason’s a hell of a lot heavier, but you get him in your tail with a yowl of protest, his claws digging in as you startle the shit out of him. 
 

MAY: Sorry kid, no time for warnings!
 

 
With the kids quickly secured, you both take off running.



 
Dwayne, Nelson and Fuller are already ahead of you by the time you’re moving, having no kids to carry. There’s another huge crash behind you and your best guess is the safe room door getting kicked off its hinges, confirmed by the sound of something hitting the ground, hard. 
 

DOC FULLER: Oh shit oh shit oh fuck oh god
DWAYNE: Stop panicking, just keep moving!

 

 
You feel Mason’s claws grip deeper into your tail as you pick up the pace, your heart pounding hard in your chest. There’s someone starting to run behind you, and the smell of blood and rot fills the hallway-

A wall of raw flesh rises in front of your party before anyone can do anything about it, and everyone skids to a stop. 
 

DOC FULLER: Oh god, oh no-
NELSON: Wh-what is that?!
DOC FULLER: It’s her mark, it’s hers-

 
Someone’s approaching.
 


  
You turn away from the wall, and you feel a knot twist up in your stomach as you recognize the bloodstained form coming towards you, the hall around her staining with red as she gets closer. Her staff drags along behind her, scraping loudly against the tile. She almost seems to prop her weight against it, looking exhausted but no less intimidating.
 

CHELSEA: …
CHELSEA: I really wish it didn’t have to come to this.
CHELSEA: And if you’re smart, you’ll hand over the kids and let me finish things quickly.

 
Chance pipes up, looking more resolute than you’d seen him before as he squeezes Melanie tight to his chest.
 

CHANCE: They’re not staying.
CHELSEA: My orders are to bring them back alive and to kill the rest of you.
CHELSEA: It would be more of a mercy to cut you all down as quickly as I possibly can, and spare you whatever tortures you’d endure in the case of you either defeating me, or in the case of the children, returning to their mother.
CHELSEA: I’ve been here longer than you have. I’ll be here longer than you ever will be.
CHELSEA: I've seen how these kinds of things play out.

 
Her eyes have an almost glazed look to them as she approaches, nowhere for you to run.

 
CHELSEA: Don’t make me fight you.
CHELSEA: I’ve already taken so many today.
CHELSEA: Please let me make this easy. 

 

[Lilium Mortem]

You can't fight her, but maybe you can talk to her. Your name... She, no, someone else, Harvey, let you have the chance for a name. Chelsea is there... But maybe Harvey is too. Remind them. Tell them your name

[Shifter55]

Maybe you could avoid revealing Harvey, and ask if any of the other cats she slaughtered got second chances like you, and if she ever remembered their names when she saw them.
Otherwise... you could use some help with Mason, maybe see if those ahead of you want to not get made collateral targets of whatever is about to happen.
None of us have had the choice as to whether any of this will be easy or not.

[King-Clod]

Don't worry, we're not going to fight you. I know we wouldn't stand a chance. But I also can't just stand by and let you hurt these kids, you have to understand that. I trust your judgement on all you've seen here over the years, but surely there's been a few maybecats or workers who've slipped through the cracks before, right? No one institution is completely watertight. And even if the chance is slimmer than a toothpick, can you allow us that chance? Just 10-15 minutes to try to get out, and if we can't in that time, I'll line us all up for you to finish off nice and clean. No fuss. You can use your flesh magic to keep an eye on us in the meantime if you don't trust me, make sure we don't hide, or plan an ambush, or something else equally stupid. Literally, if you like (point to our own eye.) Or you could put a thorn inches away from our hearts that'll kill us in 15 minutes if we're still on the premises. I know you've probably heard it all before, and we're hardly in a position to ask for anything here, but I can't let these kids live the same life I did. And I can't let theirs end here, either.

[skinstealer]

 

MAY: ...you all might want to step back.
FULLER: Don’t need to tell me twice.

 
You let go of Mason and set down Maes, Chance doing the same with Melanie. You notice a look of recognition in the kids' eyes as they hurriedly huddle back with the others.



 
The doctor backs up and turns towards the flesh wall, reaching into their backpack’s side pocket and taking out their scissors. You grimace as they start hacking at the wall, Dwayne making a similar face as the wall makes a horrible noise in response- but he starts going for his own bag, drawing his shock stick and attempting to fry the flesh with it.
  

FULLER: Sh- Warn me next time, you could have fried me too!
DWAYNE: Just don’t touch it when I do, we’ll alternate strikes!

  

Chance gets back long enough to grab a shock stick, then steps forward with you, ignoring your advice. Nelson tries to follow his example, but Dwayne quickly catches him and pulls him back to help with the wall.
 

Chelsea continues to approach, and you tighten your stance.   
  

MAY: I don’t want to fight you.
MAY: I’m not letting you hurt anyone either, we can just talk-
CHELSEA: You have no choice.
MAY: We’ve talked before! Years ago!
CHELSEA: …

   

 
She stops, pausing to look at you intently. You pull your mask down as best you can with one paw, showing your face. There’s a slight flicker of recognition in her face, but it’s gone as quickly as it comes.
 

CHELSEA: I see a lot of kids here.
CHELSEA: It doesn’t change anything.
CHELSEA: What I’m going to do to you is still ideally a mercy, and I’d like to make it quick.

 
Chance speaks up, gripping his shock stick tight but keeping his tone stable.
 

CHANCE: So you’re going to kill the kids now, too?
CHANCE: If you can disobey your orders to do that, then why is it such a stretch to let us try and make it out?
CHELSEA: Because you will get caught.
CHELSEA: And they will torture you, and they will make you wish that your escape attempt ended here with me.
CHELSEA: The lives of these children are not going to get better. If they survive the hell that their mother is going to put them through, which is a very big “if”, they will live a life full of suffering and likely serve in the same position that I do now.
CHELSEA: I would not wish this life on anyone.
CHELSEA: Allow me to carry this burden and spare them from it.

  

 
Something shifts across her form, red flesh bubbling along her amputated arm.
 

CHELSEA: Let me prevent them from sharing my fate.

[MarxzVulpez]

Ok, pretty sure diplomacy's out the window at this point, bum rush her to try to interrupt whatever's going on w/that arm. Then if May can pin her we might be able to zap her out of commission.

[King-Clod]

"Would you happen to remember my nickname?"
Say this while, not before, we suplex her. Hopefully if we do it forcefully enough her horns will get stuck in the ground and the others can taze the heck out of her.

[Monologue]

I think we can still keep pushing a point in the conversation. Until the last second, until death, isn't there still chance of change? There can always be hope for things getting better as long as you're still alive. We shouldn't just give up, and she shouldn't either - nor should she speak for others. Maybe it would be a mercy, maybe it wouldn't - we won't ever know if she cuts everyone's lives short. What if we do succeed?

For every failure, there's always the chance of success. Even if we fail, even if we're tortured - so long as we're still alive, we can always try again. We'd rather hope for that than accept death.

Chelsea can't read the future; she can't guarantee we'll lose. But she does know the people we're up against very well. If she can disobey orders, can't she help us and increase that possibility of escape instead? She could tell us how these people think, what would be the best way to avoid them. If we will get caught as we are, help us make that "will" into a "might".

[aeshihowl]

^seconded

[skinstealer]

Looks like diplomacy’s out, and you don’t like the look of whatever’s happening with that arm. You tense up before rushing her, her eyes widening and the red on her arm stump growing as you slam into her body, knocking her to the ground and sending her staff clattering across the hall. 



You’re pretty sure you cracked at least one of her ribs in the impact, but she’s barely reacting past a menacing snarl on her face as she struggles against you. Her body’s practically starved and her claws aren’t sharp enough to leave much more than light scratches on your arms, and you are making sure to hold her back so that she can’t bite.

Why isn’t she immediately going for her weird magic?

Couldn’t she kill me right now-



As if to prove you right, her arm stump bursts, raw, red flesh exploding out from it into a massive meaty claw, gripping at your head and desperately trying to push you off of her. 

MAY: CHANCE?
MAY: HEY, CHANCE?!
MAY: COULD USE SOME HELP OVER HERE, CHANCE
MAY: PLEASE
MAY: SHOCK HER OR SOMETHING

 

 
Chance rushes over, using his weight to help pin down her newly-made arm.

CHANCE: These things are lethal, it could kill her!
CHANCE: Or hurt you, you're on top of her!
CHANCE: Do you--

 
He's cut off for a moment as he struggles to keep atop the giant claw.

CHANCE: Do you REALLY want me to do that?

[King-Clod]

Both her and I have been through worse. Shock her. Turn down the lethality if you can.

[MarxzVulpez]

Gonna put a CW Violence on this suggestion, I don't go in depth but it's kind of brutal stuff

Okay, maybe electrification isn't the best idea while we're in y'know
physical contact with and thus completing a circuit with the intended target, Chance could probably use it as a blunt instrument to some effective degree

As for us, perhaps we're strong enough for a different Knock Out or distraction method? as brutal as it may sound we're literally fighting for our lives here so fight dirty. Most sensitive parts of the body are the eyes, ears, nose, groin and it wouldn't hurt (us, probably) to smack that rib we probably broke a couple times, heck we might be able to break a couple more. Headbutt is not recommended, those metal horns mean we'd probably lose that one, but could make for good handles for uh head meet ground manipulation.

[Shifter55]

Have to agree, Chance using the stick as a blunt weapon until you can get off her is the best option right now.
Given her reaction to breaking her ribs, I think it's best to go for functional damage, rather than pain.
Things like:
-preventing Chelsea from seeing
-tangling limbs in each other
-dislocating mid-joints
-repeated head slamming to disorient her/disrupt her view

Could you keep a grip on those horns if you grabbed them? If not thats a prime target for the baton when electrified.

[skinstealer]

MAY: Then turn the power down or use the other end!
MAY: I don’t know, just do SOMETHING!

   
Chance hastily apologizes under his breath, wincing just a bit as he lands a blunt strike on Chelsea’s nose. She snarls and tries to wrestle away as he goes for another, Chelsea narrowly avoiding the blow. 
 


You focus on Chelsea’s ribs in the meantime as she struggles, trying to hit where you think you heard a crack- only to hit a completely solid mass. 

Chelsea’s gritting her teeth, clearly strained by whatever she’s doing to keep you from going apeshit on her ribcage. 

CHELSEA: F-fuck you.
MAY: Have it your way.
MAY: Chance, move!

 
   

Chance pulls back and you go for her horns- unable to grab them properly, you settle for shoving them downwards towards the floor, Chelsea’s head far enough up to make for a small slam. It’s enough to daze her, allowing you to turn your hands and get a decent grip on her horns. You waste no time, lifting her head up high and crashing it back down with your weight.



Her face is not the same when she hits the ground, twisted flesh and horrible clustered eyes staring blankly up at you as she spits blood in your face. She doesn’t quite look stunned, but there’s some weariness to her face now. She’s dazed, but definitely not out for the count. 

That probably would have killed anyone else.
You’re starting to think you might be in over your head.
  

CHELSEA: You’re going to regret that-
CHANCE: Nelson, wait-!

 
Nelson swoops in from the side before she can finish, delivering a shock- non-lethal, thankfully- directly into her side...which courses through you as well. 
  

 
You topple, writhing momentarily- but Chelsea’s only briefly deterred before she knocks you and Nelson away with her other arm- now also transformed. 
 

As she gets to her feet, you can see that her body is half encased in flesh, and you bet the rest is on its way. She’s backing away while you lay sprawled, but you don’t think she’s retreating- she’s going for that fucking staff. 
  

CHELSEA: E...enough playing around.
CHELSEA: You’ve...had your fun wrestling me.
CHELSEA: I told you to surrender and let me make this merciful, and you didn’t listen.
CHELSEA: I didn’t want you to suffer. 

[King-Clod]

Ok, so we know that she can still be electrocuted in this form. That's good.
Get Chance (And Dwayne if possible, I doubt the shock stick is doing as much to the flesh wall as the scissors are) to flank her, and get another jab at her with the lethal sticks. We'll do our best to distract her in the meantime.
We're gonna beat this demon or die trying.

[Shifter55]

See if you can trip her and knock away her staff before she gets to it, use your tail if you have to. We need to get her set up to be electrocuted.
If possible push her into a wall or corner that makes it hard for her to turn around on you if Chance doesn't get to you in time.
We really can't afford to let her have a reach advantage.

[skinstealer]

 

MAY: C-chance…
MAY: Get her, shock her, d-do whatever!

  
Chance darts around you, going after Chelsea.
 
You try to struggle to your feet, but the effects of the shock stick are still taking hold of your body. All you can do is stumble and crash back down onto your ass, swearing at your own inability to stand.

Goddamnit, Nelson.
 

MAY: DWAYNE, GET OVER HERE AND HE-HELP TOO

  

 
Nelson leans down to try and help you up, but you have bigger things to worry about.
 

MAY: Don’t worry about me- she’s gonna get that fucking stick!
NELSON: The what?
MAY: Th- the stick!
MAY: The staff!
MAY: Whatever! Get it!
NELSON: Don’t worry about that, we need to make sure you’re okay first!
MAY: For the love of-
MAY: Nelson! Put me down and go get it!
NELSON: But-

 

 
Nelson helps you up.

Dwayne rushes past in the chaos, and you’re thankful that at least someone other than Chance is being useful-
 
    

 
But no one’s fast enough. 
 
Electricity crackles through Chelsea’s form just as she arms herself, flesh creeping up the staff.
 
It doesn’t do much.


Chelsea turns, her attention now fully on Chance.

You’re not sure what the fuck to call her weapon, but it isn’t a staff anymore.

[victorianflorist]

Just run, whatever Chelsea is isn't something that you all can handle, let along whole toting 3 kids around. Just run.

[King-Clod]

Tackle her again, if we can. We're still a bit messed up from the shock (sorry) but...heck, we can't just stand here and do nothing.

[skinstealer]

You feel the urge to run, but look behind you to see the wall of flesh - still mostly intact.
 

MAY: How’s the wall going?!
FULLER: We’re making progress, but- 
FULLER: Still can’t get through!
FULLER: Could maybe get a kid over if I tossed one through…

  
You hear one of the kids start to protest, but you don’t have time to babysit. You have to get in there and do something, now.


You break away from Nelson and run past Chance, the dog moving out of the way with a startled expression. You’re not entirely sure what you’re doing, but in the heat of the moment you go for a tackle-


Chelsea counters with a swipe and you wheel back at the last second, taking a shallow blow that otherwise might have killed you. Dwayne ducks just in time as well, narrowly missing his head getting sliced off. 
 

DWAYNE: FUCK ME.

  

Chance takes the opportunity to get a jab in with his shock stick, the transformed karacel jolting for a moment as the shock courses through her body. In that instant, you think you see a glimpse of sharp fangs extending from her mouth, but they’re gone as soon as you get your bearings. Must’ve been seeing things, and you don’t have time to dwell on it, anyways. Your arm stings.


Shit, you’re bleeding. She got your arm good, but it’s not gonna kill you. You bet the doc could patch this up fine, as long as you make it out of here alive.


Chelsea’s still standing, and she looks pissed- but with the extra help, you’ve got her surrounded.

[RibbonCharm]

An all out attack would be ideal, but that could be exactly what she wants. You still don't completely know what Chelsea's capable of, and if she gets all four of you down at once then it's all over.

You're already hurt, so you should stand back. Get Chance to shock her again, have Nelson and Dyawne restrain her, then go in to get her flesh staff away from her.

[Shifter55]

Maybe we should sit this round out for a while, and watch to make sure the others can at least delay Chelsea a bit. In the meantime, do you think we could get Fuller high enough to see over the wall with an injured arm? Hopefully they can land on their feet if we throw them with the kids...

If we can get at least one kid over the wall safely that might force Chelsea to drop it, otherwise see if you can help with it, maybe by tearing into a damaged area.

I kind of wonder what training with fighting the staff have, it seems simple to hit Chelsea all at once, but it might be better to stun her at the end of a swing or when her stance starts to change, with how much reach the staff has.

[MarxzVulpez]

this is going to be a rough one. Priority is probably getting that Stick away from her, as it looks fairly important and looks like it would do some really nasty damage if it connects properly. fight will still be tough without it, but could give us at least a little more leeway.

[King-Clod]

Have anyone not currently fighting focus on getting the kids over the wall - Melanie, Mason, then Maes.
For May, don't rush at Chelsea again, I'm not even sure if we can, let alone if we should.
But we need a way to get the staff out of her hands, and to distract her from Fuller and the kids in the background- I suspect if she sees the kids trying to escape she'll switch gears to focus on them.
Try to Chelsea's attention constantly shifting.

[skinstealer]

Okay, you’ve got this. You’ve got numbers, you’ve got weapons, you’re just against an enemy that could kill you all way, way faster if she wasn’t so tired. Easy peasy- but it’ll be way easier for the others to get hits in if you can distract her, and there’s not much else you can do right now with that wounded arm and no weapons of your own.
 

MAY: Hey, you’re missing a couple organs there! Where’d your stomach go, huh?!

 
No response, the monstrous karacel completely focused on watching your party tensed up around her.
 

MAY: Even with all those eyes, you can’t see everybody coming at you at once! 

 
Nothing.

You’re not great at this- but something comes to mind.


 

MAY: What would Harvey think of the fact that you’re trying to kill kids?!

 
Chelsea jolts in surprise, and Chance takes the opportunity to rush forward and shock her side, the tusks flashing in for sure this time as the ruffneck narrowly avoids her retaliating swing. Something’s definitely up, but you can’t think about that now. 
 


 
Dwayne makes his move, going for her legs. He slams them hard to stagger her-
 

 
 -and Nelson actually takes the initiative to go for her arms, holding them and putting his weight down on them. Fuck waiting around at this point, actually- you’re not going to miss this opportunity yourself.

 
With Chelsea restrained, you dash in and try to wrestle the scythe away, getting the best grip you can on it with your thumbless paws. You pull as hard as you can, but still can’t quite pry it away from her. You keep at it, and make full eye contact with her, unable to stop yourself from baring your teeth from under your mask- her expression matches yours, and you know more than ever that she is fighting just as hard as you are. 

You only have a few seconds to act before she throws both of you off.

[victorianflorist]

I know her flesh is probably gross, but bite her hand to get her to release the scythe.

[King-Clod]

Can we break the stick somehow? Use our legs or something?

[King-Clod]

...Alright the stick is metal. Can we trip her, pull her feet out from under her somehow? Use a leg sweep?

[skinstealer]

You risk taking one of your paws off the stick to yank down your face mask, Nelson making a noise of distress as Chelsea starts pushing back hard. With your mouth newly freed, you lean forward and chomp down on one of Chelsea’s hands, getting a face full of twisted raw flesh.

It’s not the worst thing you’ve ever tasted in this hellhole by a long shot, but it’s up there.

It’d probably taste a lot better if she actually fucking let go, though. All it seems to do is piss her off, getting a loud, spitting snarl out of her and not much else. Most people would have gone into shock when faced with your teeth, so you can’t help but feel more than a little insulted. You let go, leaving rows of tooth marks in your wake. 
 

MAY: Have it your way!

 

 

You back up and yank on the staff as hard as you can without warning, knocking Chelsea off-balance as she stumbles towards you. Not wasting time, you wind up and slam your foot into her lower legs as hard as you can. She’s sent straight to the floor, along with Nelson and Dwayne. As everyone topples, you reach out and do your best to snatch the staff out of Chelsea’s grip, just barely managing to wrench it from her meaty claws. 
 

MAY: It’s nothing personal, I just want to live today-

 
You can’t get the words out- Chelsea shakes Nelson and Dwayne off with ease and lunges for you.
 

MAY: Oh shi-!

 



You back the fuck up, holding the staff close to your chest, heart pounding. You try to ignore the stinging pain in your arm, blood dripping everywhere.
 


 
Chance catches Chelsea in the shoulder, driving a shock into her and holding it there as she goes down. You breathe a quick sigh of relief.
 

And she stays down.



But she does not stay the same.




 

????: ST-STOP FUCKING WITH ME!

[Monologue]

Say you're not exactly trying to. You just need to get away without getting pulverised by meat. Leave us alone, and we'd leave you alone!

[victorianflorist]

Tell Chelsea we aren't trying to fuck with her, we're just trying to get out. Sorry our interests don't align but we've had enough.