Crankshaft Rafflesian: We're Past the Tutorial Thank God!

[A_Mi_Manera]

You both make it over quickly. You realize carrying it in your jacket may be less than sanitary so you bundle it in bandages left from its transformation earlier. You both make it back to your hotel floor in record time and knock on the door to Geezer's room, connected right to yours. 

Lex: Geezer!  Geezer we need you quick!

Geezer could be heard grumbling inside.

Dotty: Geezer you coward!

A sigh and a bit of clumsy walking coming toward you pulls in from the other side of the door. 

Geezer: Give me a sec, I was awful comfortable just now. In my bathrobe, nobody else around?

Lex: Nope.

Geezer: You give me gremlin energies. Not the kind on planes either, I wanna hear from Dotty there if that's alright.

Dotty: Nobody will see you in your jammies! Get out here!



Geezer pokes his head through. 

Geezer: Aw jeez what did you bring me? You... that's not a Pardner is it?



Dotty: Well...

Lex: It got weird and shifty, I think I became a slug, and we beat it into the concrete.

Geezer: ...Both of ya'll come right in, we need to talk about this proper. This is big and worrying.



You and Dotty flop it onto the bed, Geezer assures you it's probably safe to leave it there for now. Three people would overpower it easy if it tried something.

Geezer: Thing is big, both of ya'll really gazed into the abyss a little huh? Did it do the thing where everything changes?

Dotty: Mm.

Lex: I didn't have bones Geezer, what the fuck.

Geezer: Yeah uh... sorry about that. So these things tap into other timelines and project them onto everyone in radius. This one is unusually big so its radius probably hit both of you at once huh? For now it looks drained though, you both hit it awfully hard. Won't die so that's good. Sucker is protected you know? Killing a pardner is a 20k fine without a permit.

Dotty looks over at you.

Lex: Well.. I mean it didn't die right? So we're good?

Geezer: For now. It's got a nasty aura, angel in origin. Probably some sort of failed vessel that got wiped before it could be fully turned.

Dotty: Uh... like one of those angels? Big otherworldly hell beast?

Geezer: Yeah. I'll compensate ya both for your work but... this thing could be hinting at a out of your league threat and I don't know if you should stick around any further for this. 

Dotty: With all due respect, I was built to deal with angels. Early models like me were designed to do serious damage. If you need help keeping people in the park safe, I can do that.

Geezer: Ehhh.... I rather everyone evacuate but the owners would wanna do it quietly to avoid a hit to their rep. Capital Park Resort is a hell of a mess. Honestly out best bet is to funnel them toward a quiet zone where people aren't active enough to suspect stuff and deal with them there.

Dotty: I can do that if you can hook me up with the tools we'd need.

Geezer: 'Course, I can talk the park into compensating you too. 

Lex: I want in too, I'm not gonna sit by on this.

Geezer: With all due respect, you're a amateur duelist. I don't wanna put you at risk over this.



He touches the lizard with the tip of his finger. A little energy is projected from his hand discharged.



The world inverts.

Dotty: Ugh... Geezer why?



Lex:... It did the thing again?

Geezer: It's otherworldly stuff. Unless you know how to interact with this in and out, you can die. They're a pest species but that doesn't mean you can't get hurt awful bad.

Dotty:... you didn't change at all though. It transformed us both while we were exposed to... whatever this all is. What's up with that?



Geezer: Interacting with angels costs you a lot. This ain't my first body, can't say for sure it'd be my last if this ends up bigger than we go in expecting. This isn't dueling for sport, this is real combat and you're playing with your lives.

Lex: .....

Geezer: You still wanna do this?



Lex: I mean... I don't wanna be left behind, I wanna be there if something goes wrong you know? I don't got a lot of friends so uh... I dunno. 

Dotty: I'm gonna be safe.

Lex: I don't wanna leave that all up to fate you know? I wanna be there too.

Geezer sits in thought for a moment.

Geezer: I'm gonna propose something then...

Lex: Yeah?

Geezer: I'm gonna give you a reading of sorts, a real legit life changing one. If I like what I see, you can stick around but... I'm not taking weenies with me. If you're fucked, you're fucked. Get a good reading though and you're in the hunt but... this sort of shit does stuff to your brain. Know that.